McCullum lauds Brook's captaincy after consolation win over Sri Lanka, says tri-series lessons will serve England well

England white-ball coach Brendon McCullum believes his team will have learned vital lessons from their chastening experience in the tri-series in Pakistan, but he praised the players' resilience and, in particular, Harry Brook's captaincy after a hard-fought consolation win over Sri Lanka in Lahore. England had looked in serious danger of a fourth consecutive defeat, and their third in a row from a seemingly impregnable position, when Sri Lanka reached 300 for 5 after 40 overs in pursuit of 387. Ben Duckett's 167 had set the imposing target, but Pavan Rathnayake, the hero of Sri Lanka's 430-run chase in Rawalpindi last week, once again put his side on track. This time, however, England found the key breakthroughs that had eluded them at the death in recent losses, most notably through Liam Dawson, who finished with 4 for 49 in ten overs. McCullum took satisfaction in the character his team showed after such a string of setbacks. "It was a very satisfying performance today," McCullum told Sky Sports. "We were put under pressure again. We've talked extensively leading into this tri-series about wanting to get experience in some of our guys, because whilst we've got some talent, we haven't got a super experienced one-day side. We were probably behind the game, to be honest, when they were five-down, but Brooky was able to slow it down, make some plays, and obviously we were able to get the wickets we needed. But he would have grown enormously. I can't talk highly enough of his captaincy, not just his tactics, but also his leadership." McCullum added: "I think he's one of the best tactical captains I've ever come across. He's got such an astute brain. He wears his intelligence lightly externally, but he's a very, very switched-on man and a very, very switched-on cricketer. And he's got the respect of the entire dressing room. He leads them. They follow him. He's interactive with his leadership. It's not just him out there on his own. He does call upon many other people as well. He will have learned a lot from getting thrust into a situation like this, where the game is travelling at breakneck speed, and you're having to make decisions which can win or lose a game. So, for us to have been put in some situations where we've been exposed at times, but also have succeeded at other times, and we've seen lots of different guys stand up and perform, and a few others who've got some great lessons learned from this trip. I think it's going to hold us in good stead moving forward." McCullum acknowledged England were "gutted" not to have been in with a chance of reaching the tri-series final, with Sri Lanka's win over Pakistan on Monday having ended any mathematical chance. However, with the team set to move on to Australia later this week for a warm-up match against Western Australia and then three further ODIs, he is adamant that they remain on track for the 50-over World Cup in South Africa, which gets underway this time next year. "We'll sit back and assess what we got right, and what we didn't quite get right, and how we can keep getting better," McCullum said. "We want to be a team that can challenge seriously for that World Cup in 12 months' time, and we know we need to get better, but we will, and I'm sure we'll learn from these lessons. This experience has been very good for us, albeit it has been disappointing in terms of not making the final." Despite their overall shortcomings, there were several individual performances for England to savour, including Brook's career-best 202 against Sri Lanka, Duckett's back-to-back hundreds in the final two games, and Tom Banton's trio of fifties at the top of the order. Dawson's seven wickets at 21.42 were notable too, not least because he was chosen ahead of England's senior spinner, Adil Rashid, who was omitted for the final three games. "Liam Dawson has done really well for us out here," McCullum said, adding that left-arm spin had been a consistent threat across the tournament, in particular from Pakistan's Arafat Minhas, who tops the averages with nine wickets at 16.11. "If you look at all three teams, legspin hasn't really played too much of a role, and we want to be a team that can adapt to different conditions, and be quite malleable with our selections," McCullum said. "Dawson's an experienced and highly competitive player who has put his hand up here, and unfortunately for Rash on this occasion, the conditions probably went against him." England's death bowling was a major concern in earlier defeats, but Dawson's discipline and Brook's tactical handling of his bowlers made the difference in the final game. Brook's leadership style, which is consultative and draws on senior players, has impressed McCullum. The young captain's ability to stay calm under pressure and back his bowlers was evident when he persisted with Dawson through the middle overs. The tri-series also exposed England's lack of experience in pressure situations. However, the emergence of Banton, the consistency of Duckett, and the all-round contribution of Dawson give the team encouragement. McCullum emphasised that the focus remains on building a squad capable of challenging for the World Cup, and that adaptability will be key in different conditions. England now travel to Australia for three ODIs, which will provide another test of their progress. McCullum is expected to continue rotating his squad and giving opportunities to younger players. The team management will analyse the tri-series performances and identify areas for improvement, particularly in death bowling and spin selection. Overall, England's campaign ended on a positive note with a win that demonstrated character and resilience. McCullum's praise for Brook's captaincy signals that the young leader is central to England's plans. The lessons from Pakistan will be valuable as England prepare for the challenges ahead, including the World Cup in South Africa next year.