Rawalpindi November 30, 2022 : England coach Brendon McCullum has issued a warning to Pakistan by declaring his side will attack at all costs during the upcoming Test series.
While McCullum’s brash style has been a great success on home soil since his appointment as coach earlier this year, it receives a further test on the road when England travel to Pakistan for a three-Test series that commences on Thursday.
The series forms an important part of the current World Test Championship period, with Pakistan in particular still in contention of qualifying for next year’s final at The Oval.
World Test Championship Standings
But they first must earn positive results against England and that won’t be an easy task judging on the recent red-ball form of McCullum’s attacking side.
England have won six of the seven Test matches they have featured in since McCullum took the top job in May, with the likes of Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, Joe Root and evergreen quick Jimmy Anderson thriving under the tutelage of the former Kiwi opener.
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And McCullum has implored his side to continue to attack when they take on Pakistan, even if the style is detrimental to the overall result.
“We’ll be pushing for results but we want to play entertaining cricket,” McCullum told BBC Sport.
“There may be a time where you risk losing to win and if Pakistan are good enough to beat us, that’s cool too.”
McCullum feels obligated to ensure Test cricket thrives in its current climate, with the New Zealander wanting to make sure his team entertains the fans while playing the five-day format.
“Our goal is to make Test cricket a sport which people want to turn on and be prepared to pay their money for, and they walk away entertained,” he said.
“With some of the conditions we’ll be faced with it might push us into that more aggressive style which we like anyway.”
England’s chances of winning the first Test in Rawalpindi have taken a hit with news that star quick Mark Wood will miss the clash due to the hip injury he picked up during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
His absence could open the door for fellow quicks Ollie Robinson and Jamie Overton to feature alongside Anderson, while spin duo Jack Leach and uncapped teenager Rehan Ahmed are also in the squad if conditions are likely to help the slower bowlers.
England also have white-ball specialists Ben Duckett, Liam Livingstone and Will Jacks at their disposal should they wish to attack Pakistan even further over the course of the series.
“Some of them you’re probably more used to seeing in white-ball cricket but hopefully they can bring a little bit of that panache to this set-up too,” McCullum noted.
“Even though Test cricket in the sub-continent can sometimes be more arduous and draining, there can still be opportunities to explode with your skillset and hopefully they are brave enough to do that when the time comes.”
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England squad: Ben Stokes (c), James Anderson, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes, Will Jacks, Keaton Jennings, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood, Rehan Ahmed.
Tour schedule:
First Test, Rawalpindi, December 1-5
Second Test, Karachi, December 9-13
Third Test, Multan, December 17-21
