Brendon McCullum has asked England captain Ben Stokes to “put his arms around us” after the loss to Pakistan. A difficult period is over for the Test captain.
Stokes has proven to be an intuitive and inspirational leader during his two-and-a-half year tenure, but manager McCullum believes the time has come for the dressing room to fill in the gaps and show their support.
Since overseeing the 3-0 whitewash of West Indies in July, Stokes has experienced perhaps his most difficult period since taking over from Joe Root.
He suffered a badly torn hamstring during a rare outing for the Hundred, ruling him out for the entire series against Sri Lanka and an innings winning first Test in Multan.
Finally, after completing a grueling rehabilitation programme, he returned just in time for Pakistan to bounce back with two big wins in big turners. Stokes’ own talismanic qualities deserted him as he conceded just 53 runs in four innings and contributed to just 10 wicketless overs with the ball.
stokes hurt
McCullum admitted: “We all know how competitive and driven the skipper is. He will be hurt right now with how the series has unfolded.”
“He’s disappointed but he’s our captain and we know he’s a tough bloke. He will definitely come back, and it is our job to wrap our arms around him and help him along the way. It’s my job to make sure I’m there to support him.
“It was a pretty serious injury and he had to work incredibly hard to recover. He’s got a lot of graft in there and you can’t blurt things out unconsciously, but he may not be as screwed up in terms of decision-making as you could be.
“Sometimes, as a leader, if you find yourself feeling a little disappointed, it can be very easy to communicate that disappointment through the message you deliver to the group.
“But since Stokesy took over as captain he has been very clear and precise about how he wants his team to play. What’s really important is to never shy away from it. It’s about staying true to yourself, even when it’s difficult for you.”
Stokes was not alone in underperforming after Pakistan decided to convert the series into a trial on spin.
Pope’s Struggle
Ollie Pope, Stokes’ vice-captain and assistant manager during the layoff, conceded a disorganized 55 runs in five innings at the key position of No. 3, bringing his scoring average for the year to 32.
He reached his 300th century in 2024, but was also dismissed for a single figure 11 times. Stokes has already spoken out for his right-hander and McCullum has made it clear that he will not be able to take his place in the upcoming tour of New Zealand.
“Popey was disappointed with his scoring here, no doubt about it. But I said third place is a tough place to hit.
“It wasn’t meant to be for Popey in this series, but just four Tests ago he scored a brilliant 150 for us. When the skipper went out he stepped up to lead the team really well and he is still a really important part for us.
“He will benefit from a few weeks of rest and will get another opportunity when we head to New Zealand where the conditions will allow him to develop.”
visit to asia
After eight Tests in Asia this year, starting with a 4-1 defeat in India, England are not due to return to a Test series until 2027. And that may give them some respite from their old failures with turning balls, McCullum says. I believe there are still important lessons to be learned.
“I know we won’t be back in the subcontinent for several years. But sometimes you see spinning wickets in other countries as well,” he said.
“We have to make sure our approach is a little messier and a little better than what it is now. This will be some of the conversations we have. Failure sometimes forces us to think a little deeper, and that’s something we’ll have to do for a while to come.”
