McCullum hails Brook's captaincy as England learn lessons from Pakistan tri-series

Lahore: England white-ball coach Brendon McCullum believes his side will take vital lessons from a chastening tri-series in Pakistan but praised the players' resilience and Harry Brook's captaincy after a hard-fought consolation win over Sri Lanka. England looked in serious danger of a fourth straight defeat as they entered the final ten overs of their farewell fixture in Lahore. Ben Duckett's 167 had set an imposing 387 for victory, but Pavan Rathnayake, the hero of Sri Lanka's 430-run chase in Rawalpindi last week, once again put his side on track at 300 for 5 after 40 overs. This time, however, England found the breakthroughs that had eluded them at the death in recent losses. Liam Dawson finished with 4 for 49 in ten overs, and McCullum took satisfaction in the character his team showed after a string of setbacks. McCullum said, “It was a very satisfying performance today. We were put under pressure again. We've talked extensively leading into this tri-series about wanting to get experience in some of our guys, because whilst we've got some talent, we haven't got a super experienced one-day side. We were probably behind the game, to be honest, when they were five-down, but Brooky was able to slow it down, make some plays, and obviously we were able to get the wickets we needed. He would have grown enormously. I can't talk highly enough of his captaincy, not just his tactics, but also his leadership.” He added, “I think he's one of the best tactical captains I've ever come across. He's got such an astute brain. He wears his intelligence lightly externally, but he's a very, very switched-on man and a very switched-on cricketer. He's got the respect of the entire dressing room. He leads them. They follow him. His leadership is interactive. It's not just him out there on his own. He calls upon many other people as well. He will have learned a lot from being thrust into a situation like this, where the game is travelling at breakneck speed and you have to make decisions that can win or lose a game.” McCullum acknowledged England were gutted not to have a chance of reaching the tri-series final after Sri Lanka's win over Pakistan on Monday ended any mathematical hope. But with the team set to move to Australia for a warm-up match against Western Australia and three further ODIs, he insisted they remain on track for the 50-over World Cup in South Africa next year. “We'll sit back and assess what we got right, what we didn't quite get right, and how we can keep getting better,” McCullum said. “We want to be a team that can challenge seriously for that World Cup in 12 months' time, and we know we need to get better, but we will, and I'm sure we'll learn from these lessons. This experience has been very good for us, albeit it has been disappointing in terms of not making the final.” Despite their overall shortcomings, there were several individual performances for England to savour. Brook made a career-best 202 against Sri Lanka, Duckett struck back-to-back hundreds in the final two games, and Tom Banton hit three fifties at the top of the order. Dawson's seven wickets at 21.42 were notable too, especially because he was chosen ahead of senior spinner Adil Rashid, who was omitted for the final three games. McCullum said Dawson had done really well and noted that left-arm spin had been a consistent threat across the tournament, particularly from Pakistan's Arafat Minhas, who topped the averages with nine wickets at 16.11. “If you look at all three teams, legspin hasn't really played too much of a role, and we want to be a team that can adapt to different conditions and be quite malleable with our selections,” McCullum said. “Dawson's an experienced and highly competitive player who has put his hand up here, and unfortunately for Rash on this occasion, the conditions probably went against him.” England's consolation win does not erase all their problems. Death bowling and middle-over control had been concerns, and they had lost previous games from strong positions. But in Lahore, Brook backed Dawson, used spin to build pressure, and found the right fields and bowling changes at the death. That difference mattered. McCullum's praise for Brook was not only about results. The young captain stayed calm when Sri Lanka were surging, communicated with his bowlers, changed the field, and kept the team to a plan. For a young leader, that composure is valuable. England also learned that even 387 was not safe in Pakistan. Duckett's 167 and Brook's 202 showed the top order's power, while Banton's three fifties offered consistency at the top. But the team must maintain discipline in bowling and fielding after posting big totals. Sri Lanka's batting depth was another theme of the tri-series. Their 430-run chase in Rawalpindi underlined their potential, and Rathnayake troubled England repeatedly. Pakistan's Arafat Minhas showed the value of left-arm spin, just as Dawson did for England. McCullum's focus now is on building a model for the World Cup. England have talent but lack experience, and pressure games are the best learning ground. The win over Sri Lanka showed that young players can learn under pressure and change results. Australia will be the next test. A warm-up against Western Australia and three ODIs will provide different conditions, with pace, bounce and bigger grounds. McCullum will want to see whether the lessons from Pakistan travel. The coach's biggest challenge is balance. Choosing between Dawson and Rashid will depend on conditions, and Brook's captaincy has shown flexibility. That adaptability will matter in a long World Cup where every venue and opponent poses a different challenge. In the end, the win over Sri Lanka was more than a consolation prize. It reminded England that composure and smart decisions under pressure are priceless. McCullum praised Brook's captaincy, Dawson's bowling and the batting of Duckett and Brook. England did not reach the final, but they gained lessons that could serve them well at next year's World Cup in South Africa. The real test now begins in Australia.