JOIN USEngland skipper Alastair Cook made it clear on Thursday that the hosts would go into the fifth Test with nothing other than a victory in their mind despite leading the series 2-1.
“That’s the idea. We’re not going out there with any other mindset than this is a game to win. We’ve got to use that in isolation and not think that if we survive this we win the series. We’ve got to go out to win the game,” Cook told reporters in his pre-match press do.
Cook said the defeat in the second at Lord’s changed England’s mindset. “We’ve got to have the mindset we had after Lord’s when it was doom and gloom and we didn’t play very well. We came out fighting when we really needed it. Just because we’ve won a couple of games, we can’t relax. The atmosphere is lifted and a bit around the side, we have to be tough on ourselves and earn the right to put in a good performance,” said Cook.
There was a concern over Stuart Broad’s availability for this match. But Cook said the pacer was available for the game.
"We think he's going to be absolutely fine. We reserve the right tomorrow morning, in case something unusual happens overnight. Though, we're not expecting anything like that at all. He batted, he bowled six or seven overs and didn't get any pain from it. So we're expecting him to be absolutely fine,” said Cook.
Nose protection
Broad was expected to bowl with a nose-protection mask in this match, and Cook saw the lighter side of it. “Let’s see what mask he pulls on tomorrow. There have been quite a few masks. I'm not quite sure if he's just going to wear it when he's batting, or when he's bowling, but I honestly don't think it's going to affect his performance at all - which is good.”
Cook said the new ball pair of Broad and James Anderson has been one of their biggest strengths. “You don’t get a partnership like he and Jimmy have without being a world-class bowler. They’ve taken over 500 wickets together. Any captain would want those two in the team if possible, so it’s a great news for us as a team that Broady has come through that blow and he likes performing in big games,” added Cook.