Ben Stokes is hurting with how the Pakistan series unfolded: Brendon McCullum
England have revolutionised Test cricket under the Ben Stokes-Brendon McCullum regime, but defeats in the Test series against India and Pakistan in the sub-continent has raised a few questions on their mode of operation.
The English cricketers have struggled massively in dealing against spin and that led to a defeat 4-1 series defeat against India earlier in the year and recently 2-1 against Pakistan. The Stokes-led side failed to play their renowned aggressive brand of cricket that they are known for as the batters did not look ready to tackle quality spinners.
Reflecting upon the same, head coach McCullum has noted that the skipper is “hurt”, as he put in a tremendous effort in planning for the series against Pakistan. However, the former New Zealand international is optimistic about Stokes coming out of the misery and delivering again.
Also Read – Ben Stokes dissects series loss to Pakistan
“He’s disappointed but he’s our skipper and we know he’s tough. He’ll make sure he’ll come back. It’s our job to make sure we wrap our arms around him and help him along the way,” McCullum was quoted as saying by BBC.
“He is disappointed, naturally. We all know how competitive and driven the skipper is. He’ll be hurting right now with how the series has unfolded. That injury was quite significant. He had to put in a lot of graft and subconsciously maybe you’re not quite as screwed down as you can be in terms of decision-making. That’s natural,” he added.
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England will next travel to New Zealand for a three-match Test series. McCullum hopes that the tables will turn there as the conditions in New Zealand are quite similar to England. He noted that the players have a couple of weeks to recover before going about business again, as the series is slated to begin on November 12.
“He’ll be better for the run, no doubt. It will be a couple of weeks off, freshen up and back to conditions which are a bit more similar to England. It’s another opportunity for us,” McCullum mentioned.