Veteran England pacer James Anderson has called for senior players of the squad to rally around in order to restore some pride and compete in the remaining Tests of the ongoing Ashes 2021-22 in Australia.

England has been mauled badly in the first three Tests of the Ashes, losing by 9 wickets in Adelaide, 275 runs in Brisbane, and then suffering humiliating innings and 14 runs defeat in Melbourne, to lose the series and the Ashes urn.

While captain Joe Root has been tremendous with the bat, his captaincy has been criticized after England losing six consecutive Tests away from home and him not winning any of the three Ashes he has captained in.

Apart from this, the visitors will be without head coach Chris Silverwood, who is in isolation in Melbourne for 10 days after a family member tested positive for COVID-19.

However, veteran Anderson backed the team to turn their fortunes around in the fourth Test in Sydney which begins on January 5.

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"We have to restore some pride and try and compete. That's our main focus as players. We have to block out what's happening off the field and focus on the fourth and fifth Tests,” Anderson told British media.  

The veteran seamer, who is playing in his 10th Ashes series, called on more experienced players in the England squad to boost the team's morale.

"It can be difficult at times, especially for guys experiencing the Ashes for the first time who are not that experienced with Test cricket and touring. That's where the more senior players come in. We have to try and rally round, make sure everyone is in a good place and a good headspace,” Anderson said.

After the SCG Test, the two teams will clash in the second day-night Test of the series in Hobart from January 14.

(Reuters inputs)