McCullum Urges Lord's Groundstaff for "Spicy" Pitch After Edgbaston's Subcontinent-Style Surface Bites England

Following England's defeat in the second Test at Edgbaston, coach Brendon McCullum has voiced his desire for a livelier pitch at Lord's for the upcoming third Test. This comes after captain Ben Stokes described the Edgbaston surface as a "subcontinent pitch".

Akash Deep congratulates Brendon McCullum after India's dominant performance at Edgbaston.

McCullum is hoping for a pitch with more pace and bounce at Lord's. He expressed his expectations to The Telegraph, stating, "Something with a bit more pace, a bit more bounce, and maybe a little bit of sideways, hopefully."

This request follows England's heavy 337-run loss to India in the second Test, which leveled the five-match series at 1-1. India's victory highlighted their strength in exploiting the conditions at Edgbaston.

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

The England coach acknowledged their misjudgment of the Edgbaston pitch, praising the Indian bowlers for effectively utilizing the "subcontinent-type" surface.

McCullum admitted, "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 particularly lauded Shubman Gill's batting performance, describing it as "at an elite level". He also highlighted Akash Deep's bowling, acknowledging how his familiarity with such surfaces gave India an advantage. "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," McCullum added.

He concluded by conceding, "You don’t always get every decision right.”