England aim to save face at Edgbaston

AlastairCook_high_s

Two dominant wins for the tourists have followed the washed-out opening game, meaning a drawn rubber is the best England can hope for.

England's prospects of turning things around seem bleak, however, given the manner of the losses at Cardiff and Trent Bridge.

Yet skipper Alastair Cook has urged his side to bounce back in Birmingham on Tuesday.

He said: "There are some good players there, who are not showing it. It's something we need to change around."

Chief among the concerns is their batting, with England managing just 161 and 227 in the defeats.

Cook acknowledged that was a major issue following Saturday's clash at Trent Bridge. 

He added: "The problem is that 40 was our top score at Cardiff, and 44 was our top score here...you're not winning games of cricket when you do that.

"We know how important big runs are at the top of the order - one of the top four or five going on to get a hundred or an 80 sets the game up, and you can build partnerships.

"We're just not doing that at the moment, and that's what's really hurting us."

That area will have to improve significantly as England aim to avoid a continuation of their recent poor ODI record.

Indeed, Cook's side have lost four of their last five 50-over series, excluding one-off internationals versus Scotland and Ireland.

Cook said: "Australia [last winter] was after a very tough Test series, and the Sri Lanka series was 2-2 going into the last one - and they played well in that match.

"But it is frustrating we are not playing to standards we know we are capable of, and need."

The last time the sides met in this format was in 2012/13, with India winning 3-2 on their home soil.

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