Perth, Jan.21 : Australian cricket team coach Mickey Arthur has described England’s first test loss to Pakistan in Dubai as being an aberration, and adds that he is optimistic about the team making amends in the second Test.
Speaking ahead of the fourth Test between Australia and India to be played in Adelaide from next week, Arthur said Strauss''s team is only just discovering the pressure that comes with being the world''s No.1 Test nation.
The Sydney Morning Herald quoted him, as saying: ''''It looked like they were still stuck in their winter woollies … and hadn''t acclimatised yet for Test cricket, which is understandable because they had just come out of their winter.''''
He added: ''''They will get better … and I think it was just an aberration.''''
He further said: ''''I do think it is going to be a testing summer for England because they have got us in the one-day series [in England in June] and then they have got South Africa, which is going to be a tough series, and at the end of it we will see exactly where English cricket is.''''
England were dismissed for 192 and 160, their batsmen transfixed in the first innings by the off-spin of Saeed Ajmal, who was the leading wicket-taker in the world last year.
To maintain their world dominance, England will have to improve their record in Asia, where they have won only five Tests out of 22 since December 2001, and four of those were against Bangladesh.
© ANI
