Cook Draws Comfort From Fertile Batting Track

Alastair Cook has backed England to bounce back from their chastening defeat in the first Test against Pakistan with victory at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

A rusty England batting display in Dubai saw the tourists bowled out for under 200 twice as they capitulated to a 10-wicket defeat inside three days.

And Cook is aware that England need to recover quickly to assert their position as the world's No.1 Test side - starting in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

England's batsmen will be reassured by the favourable conditions at the ground, with over 2500 runs scored in the two Tests held to date.

"It's always nice when you turn up to a ground where history suggest you can score runs," Cook is quoted in the Guardian. "But that doesn't really count for anything. We've got to go out and put our poor performance behind us."

"We held our hands up as a batting unit, that the reason we didn't get close in that last match was the top six," he added. "The beauty about another game coming so quickly is we can put that right, and I know we've got the characters and the record to do that."

Wicketkeeper Matt Prior accepted that England were caught short by Pakistan, having played no Test cricket since last August, but cautioned the side were well-positioned to recover quickly from last week's heavy defeat.

"You can spend as much time in the gym and as much time in the nets or on the training ground - but until you're out in the middle, you don't get that ring-ready feeling," Prior is quoted in the Guardian.

"Having a two- or three-month break was invaluable. It was needed," Prior said. "It was necessary but obviously it is then tough to come back in and be ready."