Alastair Cook admitted there may be changes to England’s batting order following the 405-run defeat in the Second Test of the Investec Ashes against Australia.
The England Captain did, however, highlight the importance of batsmen delivering performances regardless of their place in the order, and he believes it is crucial to start well in the forthcoming Third Test at Edgbaston.
“I am not really sure,” said Cook upon being questioned about his side’s batting line-up. “It is something the selectors might have to look at.
“It’s down to the players, I don’t think it is where people bat. People have got to get stuck in and we did not quite manage to do that in this game.
“Over the last few games now, we have been three-down for 40-odd, and it’s hard to always expect the middle order to get us out of trouble. That is obviously an area of concern.
“We have to take this on the chin,” Cook continued. “When you lose as badly as this, now it is the character you need to show to bounce back.
“We have got some wonderful players in the dressing room with fantastic records and this is why you play sport, to be tested against the best.
“We have come up short this week and now we need to show character at Birmingham, and I am sure we will do that.
“You always have to remember the state of the series after a defeat like this. It is 1-1 and it is all to play for now.
“The first two days of the next Test are so important. I think we have seen over the last eight days that the side who gets on top manages to stay on top and dominate.
“That is the challenge we have. Credit to Australia for bouncing back and we have to do the same.”
Despite backing his side to respond positively in the second city next week, Cook admitted it was “incredibly frustrating” watching his side fail to back-up their impressive First Test performance in Cardiff with more of the same at the home of cricket.
“It is incredibly frustrating,” said Cook. “From the standards we set ourselves at Cardiff, over four days there, to not back it up here, and then obviously today was not great at all.
“Australia put us under a lot of pressure all game and we have not managed to deal with it.
“In Cardiff we did a lot of things very well. Here, we did not do things at all well.
“We did not bowl with the same discipline and the same control as we did there, we didn’t take those catches which we did in Cardiff, and we did not get big hundreds.
“All three aspects of the game which you have to do well at, we didn’t. Australia got ahead from pretty much ball one and they never let us back in.”
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