Monday 23 January 2012

Matt Prior backs England to bounce back against Pakistan



Matt Prior celebrates scoring a half-century (Pic: Getty Images)Matt Prior celebrates scoring a half-century 
Matt Prior has total confidence in England's ability to put their first Test hammering behind them and strike back quickly against Pakistan.
Apart from an admirable, but vain, all-round effort with the ball, there was little to cheer the tourists after their batting twice folded tamely in Dubai, especially against Saeed Ajmal.
The upshot is they must prepare for the start of the second match of three, at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Wednesday, in the knowledge they simply cannot afford another slip up.
Anything less than victory will mean a drawn series is the best Andrew Strauss' team can hope for in their first assignment since reaching the top of the International Cricket Council world rankings last summer.
Prior was almost alone in having little cause for personal reproach after the 10-wicket defeat inside three days at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
He salvaged minor respectability with a first-innings 70 not out, and kept wicket soundly too.
However, that was not his concern as he and his team-mates prepared to leave Dubai for Abu Dhabi yesterday.
More relevant was the faith he has in colleagues who have collectively shown themselves to be the best in the world at what they do over much of the past two years.
"Usually, we tend to come back strong after these sorts of losses," he said.
"We've had that bad one now - it's out of the way - now we're going to come back strong. You don't become a bad team overnight."
England's track record underlines Prior's point because, not only have they won their last six series, they have had to dig deep to do so more than once.
There have been setbacks - a mid-Ashes thrashing in Perth being the most obvious - but England have made a habit of getting back on track quickly.
"We've had one bad performance," Prior added. "But look at the stats. Look at the performances our guys have put in.
"We're still a very good batting unit. We've had two bad innings, granted, but all the guys have taken that on the chin and accepted that we have to improve."
England also know they could be portrayed as sore losers if they become too embroiled in calls for fresh monitoring of spinner Ajmal's action.
Prior, Strauss and Jonathan Trott have been at pains to stress they will leave it to ICC officials to deal with that controversy, if necessary.
Instead, there are more urgent issues.
"We have to get better," Prior said. "I'll back this team and this batting unit to come back strong.

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