Captain Ben Stokes apologised to his England teammates for acting like a “grumpy old man” during the heavy second Test defeat in Pakistan.
England were bowled out for just 144 as Pakistan squared the series 1-1 in Multan, with 38-year-old spinner Noman Ali cleaning up with eight for 46.
Stokes was annoyed on Thursday when England put down two catches in the space of three Brydon Carse deliveries, yelling in frustration at the weary fielding.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, he admitted regretting his reaction.
“It’s the first time in my captaincy that I’ve let my emotions show in my body language, with how I was feeling as the game was unfolding,” he said.
“I apologised to the group and said that was poor of me. I was a tired and grumpy old man last night. You won’t see that happen again.
“I owned up to that and I’m very annoyed at myself for letting that out. It’s something that I don’t want to do, or be seen to be doing.
“No one means to drop catches, but it just proves how important catches are out in these subcontinent conditions, because they don’t come along that often.”
The third and final Test takes place in Rawalpindi, a venue not known for offering drastic spin, but Stokes is ready for the shootout.
“I think it sets a series up brilliantly. That’s why I think it should always be an odd number of games in a series because you want there to be a winner,” he said.
“We’ve got no idea what type of conditions we’re going to be faced with for the last Test match and we’ll just have to wait and see what we get presented with.”
Opposite number Shan Masood, who tasted victory for the first time in seven attempts as captain and also registered Pakistan’s first win on home soil since February 2021, would love another dusty surface but knows it may not be possible.
“I would (love it), but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen it turn in Rawalpindi, that’s another issue,” he said.
“Three years and many months (without a home win), that’s not acceptable for Pakistan cricket. You want a side that can win anywhere, hopefully we can start something in home conditions.”
