‘We’re hurting and we know we’ve got to improve’

doesn’t feel like a series where there should be a big upheaval.

“It doesn’t feel like a completely disastrous series.

“(But) we’re hurting and we know we’ve got to improve.”

Revisiting themes often voiced by Root over the past two months, he added: “We’ve just not capitalised on the key moments, making big scores, taking a couple more wickets that would get us on top.

“They’ve played the pressurised moments better than us, and when they’ve put the pressure on us we haven’t reacted very well.”

England’s problem has been sustaining peaks of performance - something at which their hosts have been highly adept.

“Getting to 60 and 70 with the bat is not good enough,” said Anderson.

“You’ve got to get big hundreds, as they have done.

“It’s all very well bowling well 15-20 overs, but the 25-30 overs can be key overs