"If Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes had not made this side so attractive" - Nasser Hussain hails coach-captain duo for making Test cricket exciting

Former England captain Nasser Hussain is happy to see Liam Livingstone and Ben Duckett get the nod for the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, starting on Thursday, December 1.

Hussain opines that both cricketers would have gone for franchise cricket opportunities had the captain and coach not made Test cricket exciting.

England named their playing 11 on Tuesday for the opening Test of the historic series, handing a debut to Livingstone. In contrast, Duckett will open the batting and play his first Test since 2016.

In his column for the Daily Mail, the 54-year-old credited Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum for making Test cricket exciting and prompting players to return to the longest format of the game.

Hussain said:

"If Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes had not made this side so attractive and exciting, it is possible those two players might have turned instead to the financial possibilities of franchise cricket.

"They will both still play T20 cricket around the world, of course, but it is also clear that they want a piece of the Test action."

The cricketer-turned-commentator said he is not worried about Livingstone's lack of red-ball cricket as McCullum will want the Lancashire cricketer to express himself. However, Hussain pointed out a chink in England's eleven.

"It is irrelevant that Livingstone has not played a red-ball match since the summer of 2021. And someone like Livingstone does not over-complicate things. McCullum will want him to play ‘see ball, hit ball’ cricket, and that will suit him perfectly."

"His potential is huge," he added. "My only slight issue is that, on these flat pitches, I would want the extra bowling option instead of the extra batting option — especially if Livingstone comes in as a low as No 7."

Although the 29-year-old all-rounder hasn't played first-class cricket since September 2021, he has a decent record. In 62 matches, he averages 38.36 with the bat and 36.13 with the ball. He has amassed 3069 runs, including seven centuries and 15 fifties, and has picked up 43 wickets.

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"Bazball is not just about attacking" - Nasser Hussain

Nasser Hussain. (Credits: Getty)

Hussain also alerted that the term 'Bazball' is not just about playing aggressively and trusts Stokes to think on his feet when required. He added:

"Bazball is not just about attacking. Stokes and McCullum both know there will be times to go hard, as well as times to grasp when the tempo is changing. If it is reversing, you might bring in the extra slip. If it is spinning for Jack Leach, bring in another close fielder. I have no doubt that Stokes will be alert to the subtleties."

England suffered a 2-0 defeat in the three-match series when they toured Pakistan for the last time in 2005. They will hope to start the historic tour on a winning note and improve their ICC World Test Championship standings.