England head coach Brendon McCullum outperformed skipper Ben Stokes in a six-hitting contest the day before the crucial third Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, starting on Thursday, October 23. While Stokes failed to connect on two attempts in the nets, McCullum hit a powerful six.
Both Stokes and McCullum rank as the leading six-hitters in Test cricket, with Stokes leading at 131 sixes in 106 matches, while McCullum has 107 sixes in 101 Tests. Adam Gilchrist is the only other player to have reached 100 sixes in Test history.
England Cricket shared a video of the contest on X:
“What better time for a little competition?”
You can watch the video here:
Most sixes in Test history:
1️⃣ Ben Stokes – 131
2️⃣ Brendon McCullum – 107What better time for a little competition then? 🙌 pic.twitter.com/D3w0VCZHKj
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) October 23, 2024
Overall, McCullum has hit 398 sixes in international cricket, ranking behind only Rohit Sharma (623*), Chris Gayle (553), and Shahid Afridi (476). In contrast, Ben Stokes has recorded 262 sixes across all formats.
Ben Stokes Prefers to Bat First Against Pakistan in Third Test
Ben Stokes has stated he would choose to bat first if he wins the toss in Rawalpindi due to spin-friendly conditions. England has included an extra spinner, Rehan Ahmed, alongside Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashir for the third Test.
Stokes recently stated BBC (via Cricket Pakistan):
“Batting first will give us a clearer understanding of how Pakistan’s spinners operate.”
“Leg-spinners have an amazing ability to break a game open. Having his batting ability lower down the order is also a massive bonus. The way Leach and Bashir have bowled has been fantastic in these first two Tests.”
“Adding Rehan’s free spirit and desperation to change the game every time he’s got the ball in his hand is a massive bonus for us this week,” he added.
The three-match Test series is tied at 1-1. England claimed the first match by an innings and 47 runs, while Pakistan secured their first home Test victory in 11 matches by winning the second match by 152 runs.
England Playing XI for the Third Test: Ben Stokes (capt), Zak Crawley, Jamie Smith (wk), Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Gus Atkinson, Rehan Ahmed, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.
Pakistan’s Playing XI: Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (C), Saud Shakeel (VC), Salman Ali Agha, Kamran Ghulam, Aamir Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Zahid Mehmood.
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