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England head coach Brendon McCullum remains optimistic about Josh Hull as he prepares for his Test debut against Sri Lanka at The Oval on Friday, September 6. The 42-year-old also asserted that the 20-year-old will be backed no matter what his performance is on debut.
Hull earned his maiden call-up to the Test squad after Mark Wood was ruled out of the entire series against Sri Lanka. The veteran suffered a thigh muscle strain in the opening match of the series. The youngster, meanwhile, has played only 10 first-class matches after debuting this year, claiming 16 scalps at 62.75.
At the presser at The Oval ahead of the third and final Test of the series, McCullum said about Hull, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:
"We hope he goes well, he might go there and take ten-for … we've got no idea, but it kind of doesn't matter. We see him as someone that's worth investing in, and worth giving opportunities to. And whatever happens, we'll wrap our arm around him, and make sure that he knows that he's firmly in our sights for the future."
The former Black Caps captain observed that Hull's height at 6'7 will give plenty of footmarks for Shoaib Bashir to exploit.
"The footmarks that he's going to present as well for Shoaib Bashir will be interesting. It'll give Bash a lot of excitement too. But again, I stress, if this isn't this week, it doesn't matter. Ultimately, he's someone who is going to be able to provide us with another string to our bow, another weapon that is going to make us a more rounded side, that can challenge teams in various conditions."
Hull has also been included in the T20I and ODI squad for the upcoming limited-overs series against Australia.
"No. 3 is a very difficult place to bat over here" - Brendon McCullum weighs in on Ollie Pope's form
Stand-in captain Ollie Pope has failed to register a substantial score in the first two Tests against Sri Lanka in the ongoing series despite England's 2-0 win. McCullum reminded that the right-hander had done well in the previous series. He also observed how the low scores from Pope haven't affected his leadership, adding:
"It was only a couple of Tests ago, he was scoring runs and playing really well, right? No. 3 is a very difficult place to bat over here, he's done a great job for us over the last couple of years in that position.
"He would have loved to have scored more runs since he's taken over the captaincy, but you don't always get what you wish for. In my mind, it hasn't affected his leadership, which is very important."
Should England win the final Test against Sri Lanka, it will become the perfect summer for them.
