Strauss: No need for change despite being whitewashed
WHITEWASHED and humiliated they might have been following yesterday’s 71-run defeat to Pakistan in Dubai, but England skipper Andrew Strauss has ruled out making wholesale changes to the side ahead of next month’s daunting tour of Sri Lanka.
Set 324 to win, England started the fourth day on 36-0 but hopes of a successful run chase were scuppered by Saeed Ajmal, who took 4-67 and ended the series with 24 wickets, and seamer Umar Gul who returned figures of 4-61 as the tourists were dismissed for 252.
Alastair Cook (49) and Matt Prior (49 not out) both offered token resistance but with England’s confidence-sapped middle order again failing to contribute, their efforts were in vain as Pakistan recorded a 3-0 win and their first ever Test series clean sweep against England.
Kevin Pietersen (right), Eoin Morgan and Ian Bell ended the series having mustered fewer than 200 runs between them and on the entire tour, those three players failed to pass 40 in 29 innings.
Despite those worrying figures Strauss indicated he was likely to keep faith with a trio that have consistently struggled against spin bowling in conditions that are likely to be replicated in Sri Lanka.
“It’s going to take a little time for this to all sink in, but we haven’t been in the business of panic changes and chopping and changing the side too much and I don’t think we’ll start now,” said Strauss, who himself has now gone 21 innings without a Test century. “But there was a consistent failure on our part and we must learn the lessons.”
Head coach Andy Flower was less forthcoming in his support for England’s struggling batsmen and admitted he would make changes to the one-day squad, announced today, ahead of the upcoming series against Pakistan, with the likes of Somerset’s Jos Buttler and Yorkshire’s Jonny Bairstow expected to be handed the chance to stake their claims for future Test recognition.