England batting coach Mark Ramprakash is happy with the aggressive intent shown by the top order – which includes Worcestershire's Moeen Ali – and feels it will soon produce results.
After easily chasing a low West Indies total in their first warm-up game for the World Cup, England made 250-8 in defeat to Pakistan and then 231 as they lost their tournament opener to Australia in Pool A.
On both occasions they had to rebuild after the loss of an early wicket but Ramprakash believes an attacking start is vital in order to compete with the top one-day teams in the world, starting with New Zealand in Wellington tomorrow.
Ramprakash said: "It's a delicate balance to play with freedom and also responsibility. In the cauldron of the international arena, to get that balance right doesn't always happen.
"You can't have it both ways, we got criticised greatly in 2014 for not being pro-active enough in the first 10 overs and so now, it's a bit ironic to hear 'have we got to calm down?'.
"As a coach you've got to be a bit careful with the language you use to players. Ultimately, they've got to work it out and they will get judged on their performances.
"If I was to err upon one side, it would be that we want the players to go out and play with an aggressive mindset and that freedom.
"The best sides do that. But it's up to the top three guys to assess the conditions and play accordingly."
