"If you had to create a mould for what a professional cricketer would be, it's Cook. It's a constant that he always fronts up, puts in the work, and gives himself the best chance to put in the best performance possible."
Wednesday 13 December 2017 11:46, UK
Mark Stoneman says off-field headlines have not dented England's focus as they hunt victory in Perth on a landmark occasion for "brilliant role model" Alastair Cook…
The unity and focus on what we are trying to achieve in Australia has never wavered - we're still very much on task and know what we are here to do.
There have been a few headlines which have been far from ideal and we are well aware that this is a time when this team is going to be under a lot of scrutiny on and off the field.
We've got to take that added responsibility and really channel our efforts into the cricket and turning the series around.
We knew every opportunity would be taken by the Australians to push home their home advantage. If we were caught slightly off guard, then we are now well aware of what is happening.
A lot of the stuff in the press has over-inflated the heaviness of the defeats. The assessment within the camp is that we are still very much in the series and we've just got to be that bit better.
Australia have two hundreds on the board which have proved to be the difference in both games. We know that if we can put a big first-innings total on the board at Perth we'll be right in the game and can put the pressure back on Australia.
Not being able to get a really big score is definitely frustrating me because getting a start is almost the hardest part. I just haven't been able to kick on. It's now a case of repeating what I've been doing but for longer periods of time out in the middle.
We've had chances where we've looked like we're just about to break the Australian attack but then we've let them back in.
Once they've got that momentum they have been hard to stop but if we can progress partnerships from 50 to 100 plus then that'll help us make the big individual scores.
Talking of partnerships, a word on my opening partner Alastair Cook, who is set to win his 150th Test cap at the WACA. It's a phenomenal, remarkable achievement, especially with a lot of those games coming as captain and also as an opening batsman.
He'll be taking it all in is stride, though. He's very humble and although he'll be proud to have reached the landmark, he'll be very much focused on giving everything to put in a performance which can help us win the game.
It's been brilliant to come into the side and have someone like Cooky at the other end. He's experienced most things in the game - highs and lows - and knows how to handle each and every one of them. If you need a word of advice or have any questions, he's always there, but he's very good at keeping things fairly simple.
Out in the middle it's very much a case of play the next ball as it comes which is a great mantra and I don't think there's anybody that works as hard as he does at his all-round game. He's a brilliant role model for everyone in the team, the perfect professional.
If you had to create a mould for what a professional cricketer would be, it's him. It's a constant that he always fronts up, puts in the work, and gives himself the best chance to put in the best performance possible.
There's been a bit of a gap between Adelaide and Perth so there's been a chance to take stock of what's happened, see where we're at as a team and as individuals, and work out how we go about getting back into the series.
We've put the bat and the ball down for a few days and really refreshed - a lot of people's families have arrived as well which has been really nice, it puts a smile on the guy's faces. We got back into training on Tuesday, though, and everyone was raring to go.
Much is made of England's poor record at the WACA but while you do have to be aware of the histories and patterns of play that might follow at different grounds, we are a completely different team. Many guys haven't played here before, so they don't have too many preconceived ideas.
You have got to give yourself a bit of background on how the wicket might play, what shots will work in your favour and what avenues of attack the Australians might throw at us, but, all in all, it's another fresh challenge and a great opportunity for us to turn things around.
We are certainly aware that if there is extra pace and bounce then it is key to give yourself that extra chance, give yourself more time to get through the early periods, as that will be when the pace and bounce is most effective. When the ball is 25-30 overs old and a bit softer, good scores can be made.
There have been a few conversations about what sort of options we've got against Nathan Lyon - he's be no means unplayable but, credit to him, he's bowled very well on the surfaces we've played on so far.
We know Australia have a very well-balanced attack but we've shown glimpses of being able to counter-attack that and hold our own against it. We just need to do it for longer and put them on the back foot.
As for my golf game, it still fluctuates slightly! I'm a bit more inconsistent than I would like but the lads have now got me playing off a handicap of 12 and when the tour started I was off 14, so things are heading in the right direction.
I had a game on Friday at Cottesloe Golf Club where it was myself and Dawid Malan against Cooky and James Anderson - and it went well for the new boys! Myself and Mala dovetailed nicely.
I played well on the front nine and Mala came in very nicely on the back nine, and we put together a partnership which managed to take down two of the England legends!
Then, on Monday, I played at the lovely Joondalup Resort - I partnered Mark Ramprakash and he played a blinder for us as we defeated Stuart Broad and Joe Root after being all square going down 17.
