England head coach Brendon McCullum expressed no concerns about the Multan pitch used for the second Test against Pakistan. The match was held at the same venue as the series opener, which was an unusual decision.
Pakistan took advantage of this by selecting one fast bowler and three spinners, achieving a 152-run victory to level the three-match series at 1-1. The spin partnership of Noman Ali and Sajid Khan claimed all 20 wickets as England struggled against the home team’s spin attack.
In a post-match interview with Sky Sports, McCullum dismissed any issues regarding Pakistan’s choice of a used pitch, as reported by India Today.
“I don’t mind [the pitch], actually. I quite like the quirk of it. When you’re playing at home, you should have home advantage. I guess after the first Test match, we were able to go 1-0 up something had to give, and they took a punt on it. I don’t have a problem with it at all.”
He further added:
“Credit to Pakistan, they were able to get enough runs on the board and the way their spinners operated was simply outstanding. They put us under a lot of pressure and we weren’t quite able to respond. But there’s some stuff to be proud of and we look forward to the next Test.”
The win marked Pakistan’s first home victory since early 2021 and ended a six-Test losing streak.
“Getting 290 on a ninth-day pitch against skilled spinners was always going to be difficult”- Brendon McCullum
Brendon McCullum defended his batters’ disappointing total of 144 all out in the final innings, describing it as an unlikely challenge on a “ninth-day pitch.”
After posting an impressive 823/7 in their first innings, England managed only 435 in the second Test. None of the English batsmen reached 40 in the second innings as they struggled against Pakistan’s spinners, Noman Ali and Sajid Khan.
“290 on a ninth day surface against spinners that know how to bowl in these conditions was always going to be a difficult proposition. The method of sweeping and reverse sweeping and trying to put some pressure on the opposition was really the only way.”
“We weren’t able to get there and we lost a few wickets with that method, but we saw in this Test that if you tried to sit in then it was nigh-on impossible,” said McCullum.
With the series tied at 1-1, the final match will take place in Rawalpindi, starting on October 24.
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