What are the repercussions of failure in England’s Test team? For the batting lineup, the answer is not always clear

“It’s about mindset,” Brendon McCullum said, early on Saturday afternoon, while Pakistan’s players were still celebrating on the outfield with their trophy and their fans. “It’s about getting players who feel 10ft tall and bulletproof when they go out to play. It’s not a matter of instructing people about what shots they can and can’t play. That’s got a very short shelf life. These guys are able to play the game a lot better than perhaps we could ourselves.”

It is safe to say that none of his players felt 10ft tall at the time, having over the last two games of the series taken it in turns to be reduced to rubble by the spin of Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, and by the batting of Kamran Ghulam and Saud Shakeel.

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