James Anderson says England need to be less aggressive in their pursuit of wickets when the third Test against South Africa begins at the Oval on Thursday.
England were beaten by 340 runs in the second Test at Trent Bridge as the Proteas levelled the series and Anderson, the country's leading wicket-taker with 477 Test scalps, believes lessons have been learned.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Anderson said: " It is easy to get carried away in this Twenty20 era and think Test cricket has to be entertaining all the time.
"You can get suckered into believing you have to always be attacking with the bat, ball or fielding positions. But Test cricket is not always like that. There are times when it is a bit slow paced and even a bit boring.
"There is a lot of talk about how Twenty20 has changed batting techniques in Test cricket. But it has also had an impact on bowling. Economy rates for bowlers in Test cricket have been going up in recent years and that is not just down to the aggressive way batsmen approach the game.
"Bowlers have become more aggressive too. We can at times get a bit carried away with lengths, and fields. We are perhaps a bit more reluctant to accept that sometimes the sensible option is to be a bit more negative. It is not being defensive or boring. It is being realistic.
"That is the lesson we have learned from Trent Bridge. In the dressing room after the game the coaching staff asked us all to go away and think about our own individual performances, how we could have been better but also come back with any suggestions about how we can improve as a group.
"As a bowling unit we have to play smarter cricket and read situations better. When it is swinging it is right to attack but on good pitches there are long periods when it is flat and we have to be more patient."
Anderson took a five-wicket haul in the first innings at Nottingham but the 34-year-old is till targeting improvements.
"I was too aggressive," he added. "I went away from what I do well which is bowling the same ball over and over again and creating pressure. As a bowling unit we have to play smarter cricket and read situations better."
Source: PA
