Former England batsman Allan Lamb has backed Essex opener Alastair Cook to get among the runs in Australia.

After a shaky start to England's Ashes tour Cook, 25, hit a second-innings score of 111 in last week's draw with South Australia.

Lamb believes England's selectors will stick by Cook ahead of the first Test.

"I think they'll back their instincts - the guy, if you look on paper, is a fabulous player, he's got the runs," he told BBC Look East.

Former Australia captain Ian Chappell had labelled England's faith in Cook a "hell of a gamble", but Lamb disagrees.

"I think he's too good a player and I think he'll get runs," he said.

"Adelaide will favour him, it's a fairly flat track. And we need him to get runs, we need all the players to get runs."

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Cook has eased the pressure on himself somewhat with last week's ton, after a dismal pair of knocks (five and nine) which saw him lose his stumps twice in England's six-wicket defeat of Western Australia 10 days ago.

The opener has an average Test score of 43 but averaged just 25 against Australia in last year's Ashes series in England.

South African-born Lamb, who featured in five Ashes series, three of them in Australia, insists Cook and England will need to be strong with the bat if they are to succeed down under.

"The big thing about Australia, and that Kookaburra, is you want to be getting scores of 400," he added.

"If you get 270 you're gone, in England you can get away with it because of the conditions, but that Kookaburra ball gets old and you want to play some big scores."

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