Bopara wants to be England8217;s 8216;main man8217;

Ravi Bopara's average may have taken a battering from Australia's bowlers but the Essex batsman's self-belief remains intact.

Ravi Bopara8217;s average may have taken a battering from Australia8217;s bowlers but the Essex batsman8217;s self-belief remains intact.

8220;I don8217;t want to get scores that just do enough to give England a chance to win,I want to go out and seal the win for England,8221; he said.

8220;That is my ambition and I am desperate to do that. Not over-desperate because that8217;s when things can go wrong,but I want to be the main man for England.8221;

The 24-year-old was dropped from the Test side that won last month8217;s Ashes decider at the Oval but retained his place at the top of England8217;s one-day international batting order.

However,England8217;s collective lack of runs is the main reason why they are currently 3-0 down in their seven-game ODI series against world champions Australia.

Bopara managed just 10 here at the Rose Bowl on Wednesday when,after hitting a straight six,he holed out trying to repeat the stroke in a match England eventually lost by six wickets.

Getting a start but not producing a big innings has been a recurring theme for Bopara,who in 11 ODIs this year has six times been out between 35 and 49 8211; his top score.

Story continues below this ad

But he said what mattered most was the success of the side as a whole.

8220;What you are trying to do is win a game for England. There is absolutely no point me getting a hundred if we lose.

It does me no favours,8221; Bopara added.

8220;Personally I want to go out and get a big one and win games for England. Winning is everything.8221;

Bopara,having hit three consecutive Test hundreds against the West Indies,found the Australia attack a tougher proposition during the Ashes and managed just 105 runs in four innings before being dropped for the Oval finale.

Story continues below this ad

8220;I know form does take a dip now and then but I don8217;t doubt my ability,8221; he said. 8220;I know I can play,otherwise I wouldn8217;t be playing for England and I would never have got a look in.

8220;It is just a case of getting my game in order. There is a lot to come from me yet,8221; Bopara insisted.

England captain Andrew Strauss8217;s 63 has been his side8217;s best score of the ODI series so far and an improvement is likely to be needed if Australia are not to go an unbeatable 4-0 up at Lord8217;s on Saturday.

However,Bopara said: 8220;I think we can still pull this out of the fire. England always respond well when we are down.8221;

Story continues below this ad

England are currently without star batsman Kevin Pietersen because of an Achilles injury.

Whilst they just about coped with the South Africa-born shotmaker8217;s absence for most of the Ashes,England are undeniably missing Pietersen8217;s big-hitting and ability to score quickly in the one-day format.

8220;KP is world-class and leaves a hole to be filled,8221; Strauss said after Wednesday8217;s latest setback.

8220;But other guys are getting a chance now and it8217;s important that as a group they make up him not being here and take their opportunity. We haven8217;t done that well enough so far.8221;

Story continues below this ad

England had high hopes that Joe Denly would reinvigorate their ODI batting order. But the Kent opener has been on the sidelines this series after sustaining a knee injury when tackled by England team-mate Owais Shah during a football warm-up at the Oval last week.

Strauss said Denly was 8220;touch and go8221; for Lord8217;s but added he expected to have Stuart Broad back in the side after the all-rounder missed the last two matches with a neck injury.