Pope's exposure to captaincy will help England, says returning Stokes

Ben Stokes believes Ollie Pope's brief foray into Test captaincy will be beneficial for England in the future ahead of his return to the fold against Pakistan.

Pope captained England in the absence of Stokes, leading his side to three victories from four matches, which included their 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka last month.

The 21-year-old also helped England seal a record-breaking innings and 47-run triumph over Pakistan in the first of their three-match series in Multan.

Stokes injured his hamstring while playing for the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred in August, but replaces Chris Woakes for the second Test after fully recovering.

Matthew Potts comes in for Gus Atkinson, though Stokes is confident that Pope's time being a top-order batter alongside the captaincy will stand him in good stead in the future.

"Authority, just that word in itself, can come across a bit like a dictator. No one in that dressing room certainly is that," Stokes told Sky Sports.

"I said it before when asked about this, being stand-in captain is harder than being captain because you know you are only doing it for a certain amount of games, and you are trying to still push forward what the current captain is doing.

"Popey has been involved under my captaincy from day one, so there was a lot of easy and natural ways to continue doing that, but what he also did was put his own stamp on things which were massively encouraged by myself and Baz [McCullum].

"For such a young player who has got quite a lot of experience now, having that exposure to being a top-order batter, but also captain will be really, really good for him in the long-term and I think he has done a great job.

"His winning percentage is better than mine. I think - winning three out of four Tests - he has done a great job and should be very proud of what he has achieved while I have been injured."

Gus Atkinson Chris Woakes Matt Potts Ben Stokes Full focus on securing the series win pic.twitter.com/wUU8gD6q4g

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While Stokes allowed Pope to take the reins, he was in and around the camp throughout his recovery, ensuring his influence was still heard in the dressing room.

He watched on as Joe Root, who overtook Alastair Cook as England's highest Test run-scorer of all time, and Harry Brook led their revival against Pakistan on day four.

Root's knock of 262 was his sixth double-century, and in the same innings, shared an England record stand of 454 with Brook - breaking Peter May and Colin Cowdrey's 67-year record of 411 at Edgbaston in 1957.

Despite watching on the sidelines during the home series against Sri Lanka and the first Test against Pakistan, Stokes is sure the England players are buying into the message he and head coach Brendon McCullum are trying to convey.

"When you are out in the middle, there are a few things you don't get the chance to see or observe because you are thinking about other things," Stokes said.

"But when you are actually sitting on the sidelines, you realise how committed everyone out on the field is to the very small things that me and Baz ask of everyone.

"Running after the ball to the boundary, backing the bowlers up, all the small things that in the bigger picture mean a hell of a lot.

"When the bowlers are bowling in this heat and see the ball hit through the field and someone sprinting chasing after it to stop a boundary, pulling out a dive.

"They don't always get there, but it is that sense that we are all in it together which is one of the most notable things for me, especially when you are the person trying to deliver those words."