Cook keen for England to fire

Alastair Cook © Getty Images

England are banking on the Lord’s factor helping them to emerge from their poor run of results and launch them back onto the victory trail against Pakistan ahead of the Ashes.

Since last summer’s outstanding victory over Australia, England have struggled to maintain that standard and failed to win the next three Test series in Pakistan and India last winter and the recent home series against Sri Lanka.

They have also suffered seven successive defeats in all forms of cricket - a run comprising the final Test against Sri Lanka, the Twenty20 international and the one-day series.

Cook has been in fine form since his debut © Getty Images

A long injury list has contributed to that run of results, but they are now desperate to end that run to allow them time to build some momentum before this winter’s tour of Australia.

"We’re all striving for a series victory,” admitted Essex batsman Alastair Cook, who has forced his way into England’s Test line-up because of the long injury list.

“We’ve had a meeting about it and we all want to go to Australia on the back of a morale-boosting series win which would be perfect lead-in to Australia.

“It didn’t quite go to plan in the one-dayers, but in the Test series we played some good cricket but just didn’t quite finish it off - we’re going to learn from that and come out fighting on Thursday and during this series.”

If England are to get off to a flying start in the four-Test npower series against Pakistan on Thursday, though, they are going to need to perform better than they have all summer.

They will also need main spearhead Steve Harmison to recover the form which helped him become the world’s number one bowler just two years ago to overcome the possible loss of Matthew Hoggard, who remains doubtful with a gashed hand.

Stephen Harmison will spearhead England's attack

But he will need to overcome his uncertainty about bowling at Lord’s, where Harmison has claimed 26 wickets in his previous six Test appearances including 5-43 against Australia last summer.

“I’ve never enjoyed bowling here but it’s a place I’ve always taken wickets, whether it’s been for Durham or England,” he said.

“I don’t know why that is. It’s not that I don’t like it, I just don’t feel comfortable here. When I run in I’m uncomfortable in my mind, which probably is the slope and I don’t get my rhythm right.

“I love everything about the Lord’s experience, the food, the whole lot is brilliant. It’s just when I’m running in that I don’t feel as 100% comfortable as I do in other places.”

While England are hoping of making a flying start, Indian captain Rahul Dravid is predicting a tight contest in the forthcoming series.

Dravid captained an International XI to a last-ball defeat in a rain-affected Twenty20 match against the tourists at the Brit Oval on Monday and faced England during the drawn series in the spring.

“Pakistan are a very good team with good quality players – it is going to be a very close series,” he said.

“England are a very well-supported team but Pakistan are well-supported in the UK as well.”