Stokes, back in the side for the first time in nine weeks after a torn hamstring ruled him out of the home series against Sri Lanka and the first Test last week, told Sky Sports he felt like a “tired and grumpy old man “behaved man” as he shouted at his players at a critical moment in Pakistan's second innings.

Then, when Jack Leach gave up a needless single in Carse's subsequent over, Stokes let out an exasperated roar – understandable in the circumstances but uncharacteristic of a captain who has praised a guilt-free environment over the course of his two-and-a-half year reign.

“I actually apologized to the group up there last night,” Stokes said afterwards. “It is the first time in my captaincy that I express my feelings through my body language by showing how I felt during the game. I have taken a stand on this and am very upset that I let it out.” .

“It’s something I don’t want to do or don’t want to do,” he added. “Nobody has any intention of dropping catches but it just proves how important catches are out there in these sub-continental conditions because they don’t happen that often. So I apologized to the group and said that was bad of me. I was tired.” and grumpy old man last night. This won't happen to you again.

“I was a bit surprised but we all know how passionate Ben is and how much it means to him to play for England,” McCullum told Sky Sports. “We saw this in his bloody will to overcome the serious injury, within nine weeks and in extreme temperatures of 40 degrees.”

“I think that maybe some of that frustration led there, certainly it wasn't directed at any of the players,” he added. “It was more about assessing the rhythm of the game and influencing it. But look, he'll be better for the run. And I thought he looked like that in the second innings (where he made 37 off 36 balls). “He had the opportunity to put pressure on the opponents. If he can do that, he will be at his best.

Stokes himself admitted that the challenge of getting back fit for the game had been a big one as he had not played competitive cricket since tearing his hamstring while playing in the Hundred in August.

“I've worked so hard to get fit for this Test match but nothing can prepare you for being on the field in hot weather,” he said. “Training doesn’t do that, so it was great to be able to get through that friendly. It fills me up well for next week and it was nice to get a few overs under my belt too. That was it.' I felt like I was missing that, but when you come into the game and feel like it's on the line, nothing can stop me.

“He was fantastic,” Stokes said. “He showed in these two games why we picked him in all formats, not just Test cricket. He just keeps charging forward, ball after ball, spell after spell. Obviously he comes into play when the ball starts to swing backwards. “Improving the game even further is huge for us and he will increase his value even further than he already was.

McCullum agreed that Carse had been the “standout” of the England attack. “I wouldn't say he surprised me because he had a reputation as someone who had good pace and a big heart and always came into the game with a bit of pizzazz,” he said. “To do it in England is one thing, to do it on a surface that doesn’t have much to offer for fast bowlers is just outstanding. We're trying to build a battery of fast bowlers and Carse has certainly done it.” Throw in his name.

A former Test wicketkeeper, McCullum also defended Smith's performance after his costly error on the third evening. After three sharp hits in the first innings, it was a rare blemish in Smith's successful start to England's career, while his double score of 21 and 6 represented his lowest contribution with the bat over the course of eight Tests.

“You’re not going to get tougher conditions to keep the wicket,” McCullum said. “Jamie is very disappointed to have dropped this catch. But if you put that aside, I thought he held up so well in those conditions, especially from a foreign wicketkeeper.”

“He just continues to impress and obviously in both innings he tries to put pressure on the opponent on this surface, which is very difficult, but that's his natural game. He’s developing into a really big player for us.”

“But here you also have to have the ability to turn the page pretty quickly because if you ever let your mistakes dictate your attitude and your confidence then you're in for a hell of a time. Mistakes in this game are those. “I'll be part of that, but 99% of what Jamie did in that friendly was absolutely outstanding. And that will be the message to him.