Stokes gives strong backing to Pope as England’s No. 3 batter for India series

LEEDS, England (AP) – Who to pick at No. 3 out of Ollie Pope and Jacob Bethell was widely regarded as England’s biggest selection poser heading into the highly anticipated, five-match test series against India.

Turns out, it wasn’t much of a headache for Ben Stokes.

“It would be remarkable to choose someone else if their last knock was 170,” the England captain said Thursday of the decision to keep faith with Pope after his big hundred in the one-off test against Zimbabwe last month.

The 21-year-old Bethell is the next big thing in English cricket, a rising star in all formats who made a strong start to his test career – in the No. 3 position – by scoring a half-century in each test of the three-match series against New Zealand over the winter.

However, Bethell didn’t play against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge because he was finishing off a stint in the Indian Premier League. Pope did play and, batting at No. 3, made 171 for his third biggest test knock.

Pope is the team’s vice captain and remains a trusted ally of Stokes, despite continued speculation over his place in the team.

“Having him at No. 3 and, since I’ve been captain over three years, averaging over 40. It speaks for itself, I think,” Stokes said.

“In this day and age, it’s very tough to not see all the speculation and stuff around it, just because of how easily accessible things are. You don’t even have to go hunt for it to see it these days. But I think scoring 170 in his last test match shows how well he’s handled the extra scrutiny. It comes with the territory when you are an international player.”