7 days ago
Brendon McCullum calls for more pace at Lord's and blames Edgbaston pitch
Brendon McCullum has bemoaned the 'subcontinental' Edgbaston wicket and called for more 'pace, bounce and sideways movement' at Lord's this week.
McCullum accepted England had failed to read the pitch well enough at Edgbaston – where they have lost four of their last six Tests – and got their decision at the toss 'wrong'. The pitch was identical in composition to the one they beat India on at Edgbaston in 2022, but McCullum says England are desperate for more life from their surfaces.
'Obviously we made the decision to bowl first,' he said. 'We were thinking that the pitch would get better as the game went on, and we probably got that one wrong. We saw that it was probably more of a subcontinent-type pitch, and I thought India were exceptional.
'They played brilliantly with the bat in hand. Shubman Gill was batting at an elite level. Obviously the way they bowled, Akash Deep in particular, they've grown up playing on those sorts of surfaces where you've got to slam that slightly fuller length, and us bowling first presented them with those opportunities. Obviously the footmarks started to create some issues as well. You don't always get every decision right.'
Asked what he would like at Lord's, McCullum said: 'Something with a bit more pace, a bit more bounce, and maybe a little bit of sideways, hopefully.'
India captain Gill has also been critical of the conditions in this series, despite helping himself to an extraordinary 585 runs in two matches. Gill felt that as much as the pitches, the ball was a problem.
'It gets very difficult for the bowlers,' Gill said. 'Even more than the [pitch], the ball is going soft and out of shape very quickly. I don't know what it is – weather, [pitches] or whatever – but it gets very difficult for the bowlers to get wickets in these conditions. As a team, when you know it is difficult to get wickets and runs are coming easily, a lot of things are out of your control.
'I think there should be a little help at least. If the ball is doing something, you enjoy playing. If you know there is only 20 overs of any help and then you have to spend the rest of the day on the defensive, thinking how to stop runs, then the game loses its essence.'
England are facing having to make changes to their bowling attack, with Jofra Archer likely to return. Gus Atkinson is back in the squad, but McCullum said England will need to 'have a good look' at whether he is ready, having played no cricket since the Test against Zimbabwe in May. More likely is bringing Jamie Overton in alongside Archer, while Sam Cook could into the equation if Chris Woakes does not pull up well from Edgbaston.
McCullum ruled out replacing spinner Shoaib Bashir with Jacob Bethell, who is the spare top seven batsman who bowls improving left-arm spin. He also said Jamie Smith, the wicketkeeper who scored 272 runs in the Test at Edgbaston, would remain at No 7, despite calls for him to move up the order.
England have always said they want 'flat, fast' pitches, which you do not see many of in this country these days. Warmer weather, better drainage and huge amounts of cricket played on each ground mean ground staff are up against it, and slower, flatter pitches have become the norm. With good crowds on the fifth day, the county chief executives do not mind, and we are still not seeing draws.
Also contributing to the raft of high scores is the Dukes ball, which have not been quite the same since 2022, when some production issues caused by the pandemic caused them to go out of shape quickly. Three years on, that is still happening, making batting easier.
Ironically, England have spent the last couple of years remodelling their bowling attack to succeed in Australia, where pitches are as lively as they have been for some time, and the Kookaburra ball, with a new, pronounced seam, is proving more responsive.
