Bresnan called up after Oval loss

England lead the series 2-1 ahead of the final Test at Lord's and national selector Geoff Miller said: "There were some real positives from the last Test, such as Alastair Cook's outstanding century and the way the team fought hard on the final day defending a small total.

"But ultimately the team is looking for an improved performance to finish the series well. We have been saying throughout this entire series that consistency is key and that certainly remains the case.

"We know Pakistan are a dangerous side, which they showed in the last Test, so we will be looking for a strong performance across the board in this final Test match of the summer."

Captain Andrew Strauss says England can approach the Lord's decider in confident mood despite their third Test slump.

Strauss's side were comfortable victors in the first two matches of the series but twice collapsed at The Oval on the way to a four-wicket defeat.

That broke a six-game winning streak in 2010, a run which Strauss feels says at least as much about his side as four poor days in London.

"We've played a lot of good cricket this year so let's put everything in context," urged the captain. "We've got every right to feel very confident going to Lord's. We want to finish the season on a high and win it and everyone will be very motivated to do so. We do, though, have a couple of things we need to make sure we don't repeat.

"There have been pitches that have done a bit this series but with this pitch perhaps there were fewer excuses. We have to take that on the chin and not repeat our mistakes."

Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal has become an increasingly key figure for his side since being drafted in in place of Danish Kaneria for the second Test at Edgbaston, but Strauss has backed England to improve against him.

Ajmal was central to the hosts' second-innings collapse, returning 4-71 and baffling a succession of batsmen with his well-disguised doosra.

Asked how England planned to combat the 32-year-old's threat, Strauss said: "It's an individual thing, sometimes you pick him, sometimes you don't.

"Test cricket is about managing your game and if you haven't picked the doosra you have to know what shots to be wary of playing, what the percentages are.

"The more you face someone the more you're clear on that. It's like Muttiah Muralitharan when he first came out with his doosra and got a lot of wickets with it. The more you face it, the more you understand where you look to score off him.

"We should have been better in this game but the more we play Ajmal the better we'll be against him."

Strauss has been resolute in focusing on the task in hand this summer, regularly deflecting or downplaying any Ashes speculation.

He reacted disinterestedly when told of Ricky Ponting's suggestion that Australia could claim the series 5-0 last week and was similarly unmoved by suggestions that defeat at The Oval could have some bearing on the winter.

"A lot of people talk about sending messages here and there or about saying things (to Australia) but I don't think that's the way we look at it," said Strauss.

"If we had won this series 4-0 that's not going to make it any more likely that we win that first Test against Australia. It's all about us playing as well as we can and in terms of the Ashes it's about us turning up in Brisbane and playing good cricket. What happens here has a fairly small effect on what happens there."

Salman Butt saw his Pakistan side end England's six-Test winning streak before backing Australia for Ashes success.

England's seamers have prospered with murky skies and seaming pitches for much of the summer but Butt is uncertain how they will perform without those home comforts.

"England are best in their conditions because they have been brought up here but anywhere else you play I think Australia have the edge," he said, having played against both sides this summer.

"Australia's nature is to attack teams and the only way to beat them is to take it to them and counter-attack.

"The English bowling attack will find that hard in Australian conditions.

"My experience says Australia are a much better side in their home conditions than they were over here in the last Ashes.

"The ball doesn't swing as much there and the bowlers have to work very hard."

Butt, who was thrust into the Test captaincy at short notice after Shahid Afridi's shock resignation earlier this year, also gave thanks for the presence of 18-year-old left-armer Mohammad Aamer.

His 5-52 undermined England's second innings and helped him pick up the man-of-the-match honours.

"He is obviously the best young bowler, the best one around," said Butt.

"I think he will win the ICC's Emerging Player award because I haven't seen such talent at that age before.

"Even Wasim Akram said at that age he was not that good. Aamer has something special inside him."