McCullum admits England go the toss wrong after heavy defeat at Edgbaston: 'We didn't expect that...'

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After going 1-0 up in the five-match series against India with a five-wicket win at Headingley, England were served a reality check in the form of a 336-run thrashing in the second Test at Edgbaston that concluded on Sunday. read more
England head coach Brendon McCullum congratulates India captain Shubman Gill after the latter led his team to a 336-run victory in the second Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham. Reuters
England head coach Brendon McCullum admitted skipper Ben Stokes' decision to bowl in the second Test against India in Birmingham wasn't the wisest decision, adding that the home team didn't quite get their assessment of the Edgbaston wicket right.
Shubman Gill led from the front with scores of 269 and 161 while India scored more than 1,000 runs across both innings which, together with some clinical bowling from the new-ball pair of Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep, resulted in a commanding 336-run victory on Sunday.
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'We thought this pitch might get better to bat'
'I think as the game unfolded we probably looked back on that toss and said 'did we miss an opportunity there?' and it's probably fair,' former New Zealand captain McCullum told BBC's Test Match Special following England's lopsided defeat at Edgbaston, which leveled the five-match series 1-1 after Stokes and Co had won the series opener by five wickets.
'We didn't expect that the wicket would play quite as it did and hence we probably got it slightly wrong. We thought this pitch might get better to bat on as we went through the five days but as we saw it didn't,' he added.
It was a rare statement from the 43-year-old, who has revolutionised English cricket since he was appointed head coach of the men's Test team in 2022 with his innovative 'Bazball' tactics. McCullum currently serves as the head coach across formats, having taken over from Matthew Mott in the white-ball formats in September last year.
England had chased down a target of 371 in the series opener at Headingley, Leeds – their second consecutive successful chase of a 370-plus target against India. At Edgbaston, however, the target of 608 proved too steep, with a sensational spell from Akash helping India bowl them out for 271.
The two teams travel to London, where they lock horns at Lord's from Thursday. And though the series currently stands level at 1-1, the Indians will be the more upbeat of the two teams given the emphatic manner in which they bounced back from the defeat in the first Test.
And speaking to reporters after the Edgbaston loss, McCullum hoped for a wicket with 'plenty of life' at the 'Home of Cricket' for the third Test to assist the English pacers in their bid to contain Gill and the rest of the batters.
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'It'll be a blockbuster either way, but I think it's going to set up for a cracker – especially if there's plenty of life in it the pitch,' McCullum said.
Archer's looking ready to go
'Baz' also hinted at express pacer Jofra Archer making his first Test appearance since February 2021 in the upcoming fixture. Archer had been overlooked for the second Test despite being included shortly after the victory at Headingley, with the hosts opting to stick to their winning combination.
However, the disastrous loss in Birmingham is likely to result in some chopping and changing, with Gus Atkinson – added to the squad within an hour of the defeat at Edgbaston – also likely to play at Lord's.
'Jofra will certainly be available for selection. Our seamers have gone two Tests on the spin and we've got a short turnaround before we head down to HQ.
'We'll let the dust settle on this one, but Jofra is looking fit, he's looking strong, he's looking ready to go, and he'll come into calculations. It's hugely exciting,' McCullum added, hinting at changes in the team combination at Lord's.