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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Simon Burnton in Rawalpindi

Carefree England shrug off defeats but lack of competition for batters is stark

Ollie Pope follows the ball after playing shot as Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan watches on during the second Test.
England’s Ollie Pope (right) averaged 11 in Pakistan yet his spot at No 3 is not under threat. Photograph: KM Chaudary/AP

“‘It’s about mindset,” Brendon McCullum said, early on Saturday afternoon, while Pakistan’s players were still celebrating on the outfield with their trophy and their fans. “It’s about getting players who feel 10ft tall and bulletproof when they go out to play. It’s not a matter of instructing people about what shots they can and can’t play. That’s got a very short shelf life. These guys are able to play the game a lot better than perhaps we could ourselves.”

It is safe to say that none of his players felt 10ft tall at the time, having over the last two games of the series taken it in turns to be reduced to rubble by the spin of Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, and by the batting of Kamran Ghulam and Saud Shakeel.

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