Ollie Pope has a recurring problem he needs to sort out if he is to cement a place in England’s top order, writes NASSER HUSSAIN

On the eve of this Test match, Ollie Pope said he was struggling to compartmentalise leadership and batting – but I don’t believe his problems are emanating from that.

Pope’s issue is that he is a poor starter. Someone capable of following a magnificent hundred, like the 196 he made in India earlier this year, with a lean patch.

I don’t recall Joe Root looking frenetic at the beginning of an innings, even when he was captain, and he was often coming in at 20 for two.

Root’s skill was to look composed and calm. Equally, I used to admire openers that were captains like Graham Gooch or Mark Taylor, of Australia, who would be out in the field all day, then rush off, strap the pads on late on an evening and be switched on from ball one.

Yes, it’s obviously a new job for Pope and his situation reminds me of advice Keith Fletcher gave me when I was made England captain.

Pope again struggled with the bat as England’s stand-in captain was out for just 1 at Lord’s

The most important thing, he told me, was getting runs, because everything flows from that. Every decision you make seems easier when you’re contributing with the bat.

Remember, that is his number one job. It’s why he’s in the side and no 3 is a pivotal position.

All the talk about next year’s Ashes in Australia has been of bowling attacks, but there have not been many great sides that haven’t had a top player at three. Think of Ricky Ponting with Australia, Viv Richards of West Indies, Jonathan Trott, when England were number one in the world.

One of the most important things if England are going to go and reclaim the Ashes is to ensure runs are coming from first wicket down.

At the moment, there’s still a bit of bluff from Pope when it comes to batting, and I don’t mean that in a negative way.

Someone like Kevin Pietersen had natural strut and swagger, and wanted to put bowlers under pressure, but Pope is not really like that.

He’s more like the emerging Ian Bell before he and Pietersen formed that middle-order bond – a nervy, fidgety figure at the crease. Someone lacking the belief someone with his ability should possess.

Pope is still in that stage of trying to convince everyone with the projection of his personality. Look at his first class record, it’s utterly brilliant, but his fidgety starts are an issue.

Root showed Pope how it’s done with another dazzling tonne for England on day one at Lord’s

He’s a bit of a fiddler as well, and on Thursday – because he’d been getting trapped on the crease a little bit by the ball coming back in to him recently – he batted out of his crease.

Doing so effectively changes the length of deliveries and so what he perceived to be a really short ball was now a bit closer to him, slightly hurrying him as it had half a yard less to travel. The result was he became a bit rushed in his stroke.

When he gets to 30, he looks like an Ian Bell or a Joe Root, but he has to get there more often and that recurring problem is the one he has to sort, not the temporary one of combining the leadership of the side with his place as a top-order player.