Brendon McCullum called for his England side to “wrap our arms around” captain Ben Stokes after defeat to Pakistan capped a difficult period for the Test captain.
Stokes has proved an intuitive and inspirational leader during two-and-a-half years in charge but head coach McCullum believes the time has come for the dressing room to pick up the slack and show their support.
Since overseeing a 3-0 whitewash of the West Indies in July, Stokes has experienced arguably his most challenging spell since taking over from Joe Root.
He suffered a badly torn hamstring during a rare outing in the Hundred, forcing him out of an entire series against Sri Lanka and the innings win in the first Test at Multan.
Having finally completed a demanding rehabilitation programme, he returned in time for Pakistan to hit back with two heavy victories on big turners. Stokes’ own talismanic qualities deserted him as he managed just 53 runs in four innings, and contributed only 10 wicketless overs with the ball.
“We all know how competitive and driven the skipper is, he’ll be hurting right now with how the series has unfolded,” McCullum admitted.
“He’s disappointed, but he’s our skipper and we know he’s a tough b****r. He’ll make sure he comes back and it’s our job to make sure we wrap our arms around him and help him along the way. It’s my job to make sure I’m there to support him.
“That injury was quite a significant injury and he had to work incredibly hard to get back. He put in a lot of graft there and subconsciously that can…not cloud things, but maybe you’re not quite as screwed down as you can be in terms of decision-making.
“Sometimes as leaders if you do suffer a little bit of disappointment yourself it can be very easy to allow that to permeate through in your messaging to the group. But one thing since Stokesy came on board as captain, he’s been very clear and precise about how he wants his team to play. I think what’s really important is to never flinch with that: stay true to it, even if you’re struggling yourself.”
Stokes was far from alone in under-performing once Pakistan opted to turn the series into trial by spin.
Ollie Pope, Stokes’ vice-captain and the man who deputised during his lay-off, managed a desultory 55 runs in five innings in the key position at number three, dragging his average for the year down to 32.
He has made three centuries in 2024 but has also been dismissed in single figures on 11 occasions. Stokes has already spoken up for his right-hand and McCullum was clear that his spot for the forthcoming tour of New Zealand was not up for grabs.
“Popey is disappointed with his output of runs here, no doubt. But I’ve said it heaps, number three is a tough place to bat,” he said.
“It wasn’t to be for Popey in this series, but it was only four Tests ago he got a brilliant 150 for us. He stepped up to lead the team really well when the skipper was out and he’s still a really important part for us.
“He’ll benefit from a couple of weeks out and he’ll get another opportunity when we head to New Zealand in conditions where he’ll hopefully be able to flourish.”
After eight Tests in Asia this year – beginning with a 4-1 defeat in India – England are not due to return for a Test series until 2027. And while that may allow them some respite from age-old failings against the turning ball, McCullum believes there are still important lessons to be learned.
“I know we don’t come back to the sub-continent for a couple of years but there’s still times, even in other countries, when we’re presented with spinning wickets,” he said.
“We’ve got to make sure our approach is a little bit more screwed down, a little bit better than it is. That will be some of the conversations we have. Failure sometimes it brings about a little bit of deeper thought and that’s something we’ll have to do over the next little while.”
