Andrew Strauss, the captain of the England Cricket Team has urged his players to not rest on the laurels they have already achieved and challenged them to improve their game even more, insisting that they should not take their status as the number one Test team in the world for granted.
Strauss and his men are currently in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, preparing for the upcoming three match Test series against Pakistan, which will be the first time that they take the field since reaching the top of the ICC Test rankings after winning the series against India at home.
According to Strauss, Pakistan have come leaps and bounds in the last few months and already have Test series victories against the likes of Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh and he believes that they cannot be underestimated, especially when they are so hungry for success against the so called top sides of Test cricket.
Strauss also stated that the England Cricket Team must be aware of the Pakistan side and be at their absolute best in conditions that they have not encountered before and will be playing for the first time.
Strauss also added that the only way to remain on top was to improve with each and every game and be as hungry as they were a year or two ago, stating that the number one ranking meant nothing if they couldn’t beat Pakistan. Strauss said that the number one ranking was nothing but an acknowledgement for their efforts on a piece of paper and any team could take that spot away from them if they did not perform.
However, Strauss also believes that the current England Cricket Team have the mental strength to hold on to that position and win matches in difficult situations and is confident of a series win against Pakistan.