• Home
  • Who Said What
  • Little Bit Surprised Mccullum Praises Pakistans Spin Duo After Crashing To 2 1 Series Defeat

'Little Bit Surprised,': McCullum Praises Pakistan's Spin Duo After Crashing To 2-1 Series Defeat

Rajgeeta Yadav

Brendon McCullum on England's defeat [Source: @payf_eng/X.com]Brendon McCullum on England's defeat [Source: @payf_eng/X.com]

England’s cricket team faced a tough 2-1 series defeat against Pakistan, with head coach Brendon McCullum acknowledging there were “no excuses.” Despite the strong start in the first test, England faltered in Multan and Rawalpindi, where spin-friendly pitches created challenges they couldn’t overcome. McCullum admitted surprise at how long it took Pakistan to prepare such spin-heavy conditions, which have often troubled England in the subcontinent. Yet, he praised Pakistan’s bold approach and strategic use of the surfaces.

In the series-deciding third test, Pakistan’s spinners, Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, were a nightmare for England’s batting lineup. The two dismantled the English side, sealing a dominant nine-wicket win for Pakistan. 

Reflecting on the match, McCullum appreciated how well the Pakistani spinners worked in tandem. Noman used his variations with slower deliveries, while Sajid mixed pace and spin, creating a balanced bowling attack that kept England under constant pressure. 

“Credit to Pakistan, the way those two spinners bowled was superb,” McCullum remarked. "I thought they varied the pace beautifully. Noman from one end, taking pace off most of the time with the occasional fast one, and Sajid flipping that around and putting pace on with the occasional slow one. I thought was great partnership bowling. And our guys weren't able to sustain the pressure, unfortunately," he added.

Pakistan’s tactics extended beyond the bowlers, as they took significant steps to tailor the pitches to suit their spin attack. McCullum admitted he respected Pakistan’s “brave” decisions regarding the pitch preparation, including reusing the first-test pitch in Multan and adjusting Rawalpindi’s surface to enhance spin. 

“When teams come to England, we try to play to our strengths, so it’s fair they’re doing the same here,” he noted. 

"I'm a little bit surprised it's taken Pakistan as long as it has. Because when you go to Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, the ball is always going to turn. What we had here a couple of years ago, or in that first Test match, where it was pretty flat, was a different challenge. It'll be interesting to see over the next couple of years whether they persist with these types of services, but certainly there are no excuses from our point of view. We had our chances, and we ran second," he said.

Though caught off guard, he acknowledged Pakistan’s effective use of home advantage, something common in the subcontinent cricket scene.

Pakistan’s spinners took charge from the first innings of the deciding test, establishing a crucial 77-run lead. Noman, who took six wickets for 42 runs, and Sajid, with four for 69, bundled England out for just 112 runs in their second innings. Their dominance was so complete that Pakistan didn’t even need to utilise their lone seamer, Aamer Jamal. Noman and Sajid’s spin partnership claimed an astounding 39 of the 40 English wickets in the last two matches, underscoring how spin-dependent the pitches were.

On the final day, Pakistan only needed 36 runs to claim victory. Despite losing an early wicket, Shan Masood guided them to a comfortable win, hitting multiple boundaries to wrap up the match.