ENGLAND'S misfiring top order have been reassured they are likely to stay intact for the final Test against New Zealand on Saturday and not face the same ruthless treatment given to Matthew Hoggard and Steve Harmison.
Hoggard and Harmison were dropped in the aftermath of England's first Test defeat in Hamilton, prompting every player to question the security of their place. But after levelling the series with a 126-run victory in the second Test at Wellington, coa
ch Peter Moores suggested the same approach is unlikely to apply to the batsmen, despite another Test without a century from the top six.
"They deserve a chance to settle," said Moores. "We don't think we'll be changing a great deal in the batting department....there's a timeframe to give everyone a chance to show whether they can or they can't. There is a period of time where you need to give people the opportunity where they know it's fair."
England have already made changes to their batting line-up for this series with Andrew Strauss being recalled at number three while Paul Collingwood was moved to sixth and Ian Bell promoted to fifth.
"They've all got very clear goals of what they are trying to achieve and they're working very hard to do it," Moores said. "We know we have to win Tests as a team and perform individually to survive."
Moores is also confident out-of-form Kevin Pietersen will bounce back. "It happens to good players but their talent doesn't go away and how he's played in the past will return," Moores said.
The full article contains 269 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
