Stokes, McCullum defend England’s aggressive approach

LAHORE: England captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum defended their team’s aggressive strategy, despite a 152-run defeat to Pakistan in the second Test in Multan.

England’s batting collapsed to 144 all out in their chase of a 297-run target, with Pakistan’s spinners Noman Ali and Sajid Khan taking all 10 wickets on a turning pitch. In the aftermath of England’s 152-run defeat to Pakistan in the second Test in Multan, Stokes and McCullum came out strongly in defence of their aggressive approach, which has become a hallmark of their cricket under the so-called “Bazball” philosophy.

Stokes and McCullum emphasised that the only way to challenge Pakistan on such a spin-friendly pitch was to take the attack to the bowlers.

Stokes and McCullum insisted that the attacking mindset was the best chance for victory. Stokes, who was England’s top-scorer with 37 from 36 balls, said, “It was going to be a massive task for us with the conditions. We had to take on the bowlers; there was always a ball with your name on it.” He pointed to Ben Duckett’s first-innings century, achieved with aggressive sweeps and reverse sweeps, as proof that this method worked against Pakistan’s spin attack.

Noman Ali and Sajid Khan exploited the sharp turn and variable bounce on the Multan pitch, with Noman claiming career-best figures of 8-46. Stokes defended the attacking approach, saying it was a necessity given the conditions. “It was going to be a massive task for us because of how much the wicket was deteriorating. We had to go out there with a clear method, both as individuals and as a batting unit,” he said. “You always felt like there was a ball with your name on it, so the only way we were going to get close to winning was by trying to put pressure on the spinners.”