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Strauss rallies England

Strauss rallies England

02/02/2012 06:25:53 PM

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Andrew Strauss has called on his England players to secure their places in the team with an improved showing in the third Test against Pakistan.

England lost the first two Tests against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates by 10 wickets and 72 runs respectively, meaning the series is already out of their reach.

The third match begins in Dubai on Friday, and Strauss believes it represents an opportunity for England's out-of-form batsmen to justify their inclusion in the team.

"You can't keep underperforming forever," Strauss said.

"So all of us have a responsibility on our shoulders to improve our games."

"I've been a strong believer that no one is guaranteed their place in the England side."

"The environment only works properly if there is pressure on you for your place, so we all have to work very hard for the next five days."

England have had no answer to Pakistan's battery of slow bowlers during the previous two matches, with Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman in particular ripping through the world's number one Test team.

Acknowledging the need for improvement when playing spin, Strauss cautioned his men against taking too drastic an approach.

"It is not about deconstructing your technique, but clarifying what you want to do out there," he said.

"To a certain extent cricket is a form game, and some of our guys got out of it at an inconvenient juncture with each other."

"You can't disappear into a hole too much."

"There's a lot of things these guys have done very well, playing spin over the past couple of years."

"These conditions are slightly different, so it's more about adapting your game to the conditions than going right back to square one and saying 'right, I need to change everything'."

"That's a dangerous route to go down."

 
Photograph Copyright : Getty Images

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