Strauss: We have to be at our best

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Strauss: We have to be at our best
England cricket captain Andrew Strauss says his side will have to be at their best if they want to stop Pakistan levelling the four match Test series at Lords.
Pakistan go in to the game with a great deal of energy and confidence after they managed to beat a poor England side at the Oval in the third Test match. Pakistan have one of the best bowling attacks in the world and Strauss is well aware of this.
England's batsmen and key fielders must improve to give the bowlers in the side more to work with when it comes to bowling Pakistan out twice. Strauss says nothing but the best will do because Pakistan now hold all of the aces.
England have to be at their best because Pakistan have a lot going for them ahead of the final Test match. It's also important England win because this will be the last Test match they play before the Ashes this winter.
Pakistan strengths
Pakistan have always had the belief that they are good enough to beat any side in the world but they have been far too inconsistent to prove this on a regular basis.
The side have one of the best fast bowlers in the world in Mohammad Amir. Amir can swing the ball both ways at extreme pace and late. This is very difficult to play against and the England batsmen have to be very sharp to keep the ball out.
England were not good enough with their bowling plans in the last match. The likes of Salman Butt and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Yusuf-c77475 were given too many opportunities to score easy runs and this ultimately cost the side.
Strauss said: "It was disappointing the way we played at the Oval. We made some mistakes which we want to put right. But there is a nice determined atmosphere. We feel we maybe have a point to prove and that's a good state of mind to be in. The batting is a bit of a concern – we don't want to be collapsing all the time – but it needs putting in context."
End on a high
There is now very little time before the first Ashes Test match in Brisbane and England must finish on a high. This is because it will give them confidence when they play Australia.
The war of words has already been started by Ricky Ponting and England would prefer to play the Aussies with a convincing series win over Pakistan under their belts. Otherwise they will arrive in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 having only drawn a series against a supposed weak Pakistan side going through transition.
Strauss added: "We've sat down and talked about it and it's a case of bringing the game back to the simplest form, backing yourself and earning the right to get on top of the opposition bowlers. It's most important not to get carried away doing this wrong or that – it's worked before and it can work again."
Betting advice
England are favourites for the final Test match against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 although the odds for the tourists have shortened after their win at the Oval. There are too many experienced players in the England side to let a repeat of the poor performance at the Oval happen again.
England know they have a better chance than ever before to go to Australia with confidence and a chance to beat the old enemy in their own back yard. This makes a win against Pakistan all the more important and you can back the side to beat Pakistan with ease.