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• ‘Stokes will come back,’ says McCullum after England captain’s injury-hit Pakistan tour

  England coach Brendon McCullum backed ‘hurting’ Ben Stokes to come back stronger after they fell to a 2-1 defeat in the Test series in Pakistan on the captain’s return from a hamstring injury. 

  Stokes had missed the historic first Test in Multan that England won by an innings and 47 runs, but he recovered after a two-month lay-off to make himself available ahead of the second Test. 

  On a reused pitch in Multan, England fell to a 152-run defeat to the hosts with the 33-year-old all-rounder managing 1 and 37 with the bat and bowling just 10 overs without a wicket. 

  Stokes did not have much luck in the third Test either, collecting just 15 runs over the two innings as Pakistan made it back-to-back wins to win the three-match series. 

  “He's disappointed but he's our skipper and we know he's tough," McCullum told BBC Sport.

  "He'll make sure he'll come back. It's our job to make sure we wrap our arms around him and help him along the way."

• Stokes backs England's batters but concedes challenges were not met

  Ben Stokes has no doubt that England's battling line-up features the country's "best top six players", despite a capitulation against Pakistan.

  A 2-1 series defeat for England was confirmed on Saturday, as Pakistan claimed a nine-wicket triumph in Rawalpindi.

  The tourists were undone by Pakistan's spin bowlers, with Sajid Khan and Noman Ali seeing England all out for 112, their lowest-ever total in Pakistan. 

  England started the series with an emphatic victory, with Joe Root and Harry Brook dominating the first Test, but in matches two and three, their batting left much to be desired.

  Captain Stokes, though, is confident in the squad.

  "There is no doubt in my mind that we have got the best top six players in England," Stokes told Sky Sports.

  "You always pick your best players.

  The last couple of Tests we've been thrown some challenges and it's pretty easy to assess that we weren't able to stand up to those challenges."

  Stokes also put the onus on himself to improve, after he struggled to get going following his return from injury.

  "I am always trying to evolve and adapt whether against spin or pace," he said.

  "The disappointment is always there, it always hits hard, but when you have so much experience to fall back on it is a little bit easier to take."

  Ollie Pope, meanwhile, has come under criticism for his performances, but coach Brendon McCullum was quick to come to his defence.

  "What he did through the summer, stepping up with his captaincy and leadership and him stepping up into that role, even his 150 in that final Test match, we know when he gets in, he gets big scores and defining scores as well," said McCullum said.

  "It's not an easy place to bat at number three. I know he'll be disappointed with the volume of runs in this series but I expect him to bounce back in New Zealand.

  "We'll make sure he's got the required support to do so."

  England's next Test series sees them face New Zealand, starting next month.

• Noman and Sajid spin Pakistan to series win against England

  Pakistan romped to a first Test series win on home soil since 2021 after coming from 1-0 down to clinch a series victory over England with a nine-wicket triumph in Rawalpindi. 

  The tourists were again undone by Pakistan's spin bowlers, with Sajid Khan and Noman Ali seeing England all out for 112, their lowest ever total in Pakistan. 

  England started 24-3 with Harry Brook and Joe Root at the crease, with the pair starting confidently before the former was caught by Mohammad Rizwan from Noman's delivery.

  Ben Stokes (three) and Jamie Smith (three) followed shortly after, with Root then edging from another Noman delivery to all but England's slim hopes of a victory.

  The tourists lost seven wickets for just 46 runs, with Noman (6-42) and Sajid (4-69) claiming all 10 dismissals in the second innings, with Pakistan set a target of just 36 to win. 

  Jack Leach was able to grab the early wicket of Saim Ayub (eight), but Shan Masood (23) and Abdullah Shafique (five) steered the hosts to a memorable victory. 

  England's next Test series starts in New Zealand at the end of November, while an almost entirely different squad begins a white-ball series in the West Indies next week. 

  Data Debrief: Pakistan end home hoodoo

  Having been beaten in six consecutive Tests and winless in 11 at home, Pakistan earned a memorable victory on home soil, spearheaded by Noman and Sajid. 

  Sajid rightly picked up the Player of the Series award, taking 19 wickets which included two five-wicket hauls, while also scoring 72 runs with the bat. 

  But Noman also played his part in the triumph. Along with Sajid, the pair took 39 of the 40 wickets in the final two Tests against England.