McCullum Calls for Lively Lord's Pitch After England's Edgbaston Defeat Against India

Following England's defeat at Edgbaston, coach Brendon McCullum has echoed captain Ben Stokes' sentiments regarding the pitch, describing it as similar to those found in the subcontinent. Now, McCullum is hoping for a contrasting surface at Lord's for the third Test, starting this Thursday.

McCullum expressed his desire for a "spicy" pitch with increased pace and bounce. He told The Telegraph, "Something with a bit more pace, a bit more bounce, and maybe a little bit of sideways, hopefully."

India's commanding 337-run victory in the second Test leveled the five-match series at 1-1.

England has bolstered their squad with the addition of Gus Atkinson, and there's considerable anticipation surrounding the potential return of Jofra Archer to Test cricket after a four-year absence.

The England coach conceded that they misjudged the Edgbaston pitch, praising the Indian bowlers for exploiting the conditions effectively.

"Obviously we made the decision to bowl first," McCullum stated. "We were thinking that the pitch would get better as the game went on, and we probably got that one wrong. We saw that it was probably more of a subcontinent-type pitch, and I thought India were exceptional."

He further added, "They played brilliantly with the bat in hand. Shubman Gill was batting at an elite level. Obviously, the way they bowled — Akash Deep in particular — they’ve grown up playing on those sorts of surfaces, where you’ve got to slam that slightly fuller length, and us bowling first presented them with those opportunities. Obviously, the footmarks started to create some issues as well. You don’t always get every decision right.”