The England Cricket Board has appointed Harry Brook as vice-captain to Ben Stokes for the upcoming five-Test Ashes series in Australia, replacing Ollie Pope in the role. Former captain Mike Atherton suggested that England could consider promoting young batter Jacob Bethell to the No. 3 spot ahead of Pope, citing both Stokes’ workload and Pope’s inconsistency as potential factors. Atherton told Sky Sports, “One, because it may not be the case that Stokes plays all five games. He’s 34 years of age. Five Tests come quickly. The last three come very quickly. In recent times, although he looked in fantastic physical condition against India and bowled as well as he had for maybe six or seven years, he still got injured at the end of it and didn’t quite see that five-Test match series through.” He added, “So he may not play all five, in which case it’s going to be Brook, not Pope (as captain). But I felt there’s a bit more to it than that.” Read also: Big Questions and Key Concerns from England’s Ashes 2025 Squad Pope’s Position and Bethell’s Prospects England managing director Rob Key clarified that Pope’s removal as vice-captain does not automatically signal exclusion from the XI. Key explained, “There are no other ulterior motives other than the fact that we think Harry is the best person to be the vice-captain." Atherton analyzed Key’s remarks, noting that the management intends to evaluate players’ form and fitness before finalizing the lineup. Atherton said, “He (Key) suggested there is no ulterior motive as far as the Pope decision is concerned. But I just have an instinct, a feeling in the waters, that they are going to play Bethell. That’s just a guess really, just a kind of instinct you get." Atherton concluded, "The former England captain emphasized that Bethell’s performance in white-ball cricket could influence his Ashes selection. “There’s a bit of cricket to play before we get to Perth, obviously for Bethell in the white-ball stuff, not so much for Pope, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jacob Bethell walk out at Perth at No. 3.”