[Watch] Brendon McCullum beats Ben Stokes as duo engage in 6s battle ahead of 2024 3rd PAK vs ENG Test
England head coach Brendon McCullum beat skipper Ben Stokes as the duo engaged in a six-hitting battle a day ahead of the series-deciding third Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, which starts on Thursday, October 23. Stokes missed both chances while batting in the nets, while McCullum nailed one straight for a massive six.
Notably, Stokes and McCullum have the most sixes in Test cricket. Stokes is at the top of the table with 131 in 106 games. The former New Zealand swashbuckling opener had smashed 107 sixes in 101 Tests. Adam Gilchrist of Australia is the only other player to have hit 100 sixes in Test cricket.
Sharing the video on X, England Cricket’s official handle wrote:
“What better time for a little competition?”
Watch the clip below:
Overall, McCullum has 398 sixes in international cricket. He is only behind Rohit Sharma (623*), Chris Gayle (553) and Shahid Afridi (476).
Meanwhile, Ben Stokes has smashed 262 maximums across formats so far.
Ben Stokes wants to bat first against Pakistan in third Test
Ben Stokes has revealed that he would bat first if he wins the toss in Rawalpindi owing to spin-friendly conditions. Notably, England have included an extra spinner in the form of Rehan Ahmed for the third Test alongside Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashir.
Stokes recently told BBC (via Cricket Pakistan):
"Batting first will give us a clearer understanding of how Pakistan's spinners operate.”
“Leg-spinners have an amazing ability to break a game open. Having his batting ability lower down the order is also a massive bonus. The way Leach and Bashir have bowled has been fantastic in these first two Tests. Adding Rehan's free spirit and desperation to change the game every time he's got the ball in his hand is a massive bonus for us this week,” he added.
The three-match Test series is evenly poised at 1-1. England won the opening game by an innings and 47 runs. Pakistan won the second match by 152 runs to register their first home Test victory after 11 games.
England Playing XI for the Third Test: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (capt), Jamie Smith (wk), Gus Atkinson, Rehan Ahmed, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.
Pakistan's Playing XI: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (C), Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel (VC), Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Salman Ali Agha, Aamir Jamal, Noman Ali, Sajid Khan, Zahid Mehmood.