Former Kiwi batter and current England coach, Brendon McCullum has asserted his readiness to employ an all-spin bowling attack in the remaining matches of the Test series against India.
During England’s last Test series in India in 2021, they won the first Test in Chennai. However, in the following matches, the pitches started favoring spin bowlers.
Speaking on a local English radio show, McCullum revealed that if the pitches behave similarly this time, England is prepared to use their spin bowlers effectively to handle the conditions.
McCullum also mentioned that if we think the pitch for the second Test in Vizag will have more spin than the one in Hyderabad, Bashir might be considered for the team.
He (Bashir) was obviously with us in the camp in Abu Dhabi and he really impressed with his skill sets. He fits in the group. He, again, like Tom Hartley, has little first-class experience, but we thought his skill could help us in here.
McCullum mentioned that Bashir’s timing in Hyderabad was great. When he came, everyone cheered, and he got to see something amazing as our team’s bowlers helped us win the Test match. McCullum also added that Bashir might be considered for the next Test match.
The English coach also said that if the pitches keep spinning like they did in the first Test as the series progresses, we won’t hesitate to play either all spinners or a mix of our available players.
It should be noted that England secured a remarkable win in Hyderabad last week, making an impressive comeback. They played on a pitch that favored spin bowling and chose to have three spinners and only one fast bowler, Mark Wood, in their team.
What’s even more remarkable is that two of their three spinners had only played one Test match before this one. Despite this, they managed to defeat the experienced Indian side.
