McCullum acknowledges Stokes' subpar captaincy in Pakistan Test series
England cricket team's head coach, Brendon McCullum, has conceded that Ben Stokes's leadership wasn't up to the mark during their 2-1 Test series defeat to hosts Pakistan. The admission comes after Stokes made a rushed return from the hamstring injury he picked up in the Hundred. While Stokes's bowling last summer was commendable, he failed to make a significant contribution with the ball in Pakistan.
McCullum reflects on Stokes's injury and its impact
McCullum emphasized on how serious Stokes's injury was and how hard he worked to get back. He implied that this could have played a part in Stokes's decision-making during the series, subconsciously. "Look, with Stokesy that injury was quite a significant injury. He had to work incredibly hard to get back," McCullum said. He added, "As the driven athlete he is, he's all-in when he does something."
Coach McCullum expresses confidence in Stokes's resilience
Despite the setback, McCullum was confident about Stokes's ability to bounce back. He stressed it's important for the team to support him during this tough time. "He's disappointed but he's our skipper and we know he's a tough bugger. He'll make sure he'll come back and it's our job to make sure we wrap our arms around him and help him along the way," McCullum said.
Stokes acknowledges Pakistan spinners' superiority in series
Stokes admitted that Pakistan's spinners, Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, were better than his team in the series. Their brilliant bowling helped Pakistan clinch the series on Saturday. "You've got to hold your hands up to say that those two in particular were obviously too good for our batting line-up in those last two games," Stokes said after England's defeat.
Stokes expresses disappointment over series defeat
Stokes was disappointed over the series loss, especially after England's 3-0 victory against Pakistan two years ago. He admitted his team needs to be more consistent in the future. "We need to do things for longer," added Stokes. Notably, England will next tour New Zealand for a three-match Test series in November this year.
