McCullum Calls for "Spicy" Lord's Pitch After England's Edgbaston Loss to India

Following England's defeat at Edgbaston, coach Brendon McCullum has echoed captain Ben Stokes' sentiment regarding the pitch, describing it as a "subcontinent-type" surface. Now, McCullum is advocating for a different kind of track at Lord's for the upcoming third Test match.

McCullum expressed his desire for a pitch with increased pace and bounce at Lord's, where the third Test is scheduled to begin on Thursday. "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 is also speculation that Jofra Archer could potentially make his return to Test cricket after a four-year absence.

The England coach conceded that they had misjudged the Edgbaston pitch, praising the Indian bowlers for effectively exploiting the conditions of the "subcontinent-type" surface.

"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."

McCullum also highlighted the effectiveness of the Indian bowlers, particularly Akash Deep, who capitalized on the conditions created by England's decision to bowl first. "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,” McCullum concluded.