McCullum Calls for 'Spicy' Lord's Pitch After England's Edgbaston Test Loss

Following England's defeat in the second Test at Edgbaston, coach Brendon McCullum has expressed his desire for a livelier pitch at Lord's for the upcoming third Test. This follows Ben Stokes' description of the Edgbaston surface as a "subcontinent pitch."

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

McCullum is hoping for a surface at Lord's that offers more assistance to the pace bowlers. "Something with a bit more pace, a bit more bounce, and maybe a little bit of sideways, hopefully," McCullum told The Telegraph.

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. There are also speculations about Jofra Archer potentially making his return 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. He acknowledged the pitch favored the Indian style of play.

"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 specifically highlighted Shubman Gill's batting performance and the effectiveness of the Indian bowlers, particularly Akash Deep.

"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."

McCullum concluded by admitting that not all decisions turn out as planned. "Obviously, the footmarks started to create some issues as well. You don’t always get every decision right.”