England 'realistic' about chances in Pakistan, says McCullum

Brendon McCullum says England are going into their three-match Test series against Pakistan with "realistic" expectations, and anticipates a tough test from their hosts.

England became the first side to achieve a 3-0 clean sweep in Pakistan during their last tour in 2022.

And Pakistan have had no success on home soil in the last two years, with a 1-0 defeat by Australia in early 2022 setting off a 10-match winless run, with Bangladesh the latest to triumph against them.

England are without captain Ben Stokes though, as he was ruled out of the first Test after failing to recover from a hamstring tear in time.

Despite recent history suggesting England may just have an edge, McCullum is taking nothing for granted.

"We go in with high hopes," McCullum told BBC Sport. "There will be no excuses whatsoever if we don't get where we need to get.

"We're also realistic this is going to be a tough series, because Pakistan in their own conditions, as history would suggest, it's a tough ask."

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McCullum also brushed off concerns he was worried about not having James Anderson, who has been acting as their fast-bowling consultant since his retirement, with them for the first day.

"Jimmy has been a great resource for us, but prior to that, we didn't have a pace-bowling coach as such," he added.

"In the world we live in, communication is easy. Jimmy is in constant communication with the guys. I don't think it's a big issue."

For Pakistan, Shan Masood has lost all five Tests since being appointed captain last November, including the 2-0 defeat to Bangladesh in August.

"There is a lot of hurt within the players," Masood said. "This year, 2024, has not been a good year for Pakistan cricket all over, and we like to see our fans happy.

"The answer is to be positive. We let the past go. We have tried to maintain consistency in selection. We haven't had any chopping and changing because we have lost a few games.

"We believe in this set of players and with Jason Gillespie we wanted to create a squad mentality. The players are being backed to turn things around."

The first Test between England and Pakistan begins on Monday in Multan.