Bopara backs Cook to regain form

Ravi Bopara insists his Essex and England team-mate Alastair Cook will come good for the national side after a run of below-par displays.

Cook has made just 100 runs in his last seven attempts in Tests, and only contributed 21 over two innings in the nine-wicket second Test victory against Pakistan earlier this week.

England captain Andrew Strauss staunchly defended Cook in the wake of that victory, and Bopara has joined the chorus by claiming his county team-mate possesses all the qualities required to bounce back.

"I batted with him in the middle (on Thursday) and he batted really well, struck the ball beautifully and doesn't look like anything's wrong with him," Bopara told Sky Sports News.

"Nobody knows what he's going through, nobody knows what he's thinking. I think it's hard for other people to tell him what he needs to do.

"He'll know himself what he needs to do. It's wrong for other people to say he needs to do this or go back to basics. He knows the basics of cricket. He wouldn't play for England if he didn't know the basics of batting.

"He's a smart guy, he's a good batsman, he's scored runs for England, he's scored runs for Essex - there's nothing wrong with his technical game.

"You just go through those patches where it's not your time. You've got to stick it out and I'm sure he'll come through it."