England go into the second of a four-Test series against Pakistan at Edgbaston on the back of a crushing 354-run win in last week’s opener at Trent Bridge.
However, the major cloud on the horizon for England is the form of Pietersen, who has gone 22 Test innings without a century. But Strauss said, “Pietersen has had a bit of a dip but players of that quality will always come through and I’ve got absolutely no doubt he will come through this.”
Meanwhile, Cook has made only 79 runs in five innings since his 109 not out against Bangladesh in Dhaka but Strauss remained confident of his opening partner. “As far as Cook goes, it was only three or four Tests ago he scored a hundred.
“People will have a bad Test or a couple of Tests. I’ve got no concerns about his form at all.”
Speaking about the latest inclusion in the Pakistan side, Mohammad Yousuf, Strauss said, “Hopefully, if he does play and he is a bit jet-lagged we can get enough balls in the right area.”
When Pakistan were last in England four years ago, Yousuf scored 631 runs in a four-Test series at an average of 90.14 with three hundreds including a double hundred.
“We saw too much of him last time, because he had a great series. His average suggests he’s a top-quality Test player.”
Published in The Express Tribune, August 6th, 2010.
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