England captain Andrew Strauss is not worried about the form of fellow opener Alastair Cook in the run-up to Boxing Day's second Test against South Africa.
Cook, who celebrates his 25th birthday on Christmas Day, scored 15 and 12 in the drawn first Test at Centurion.
But Strauss said: "I am happy with the way he is playing and happy with some of the adjustments he has made.
"There are times when cricket is tough but I know Alastair has the character and temperament to come through it."
Strauss added: "I have been through it and just about every member of our batting unit has been through it at one stage or another."What it boils down to is how much you are willing to guts it out and I know that Alastair will do that. I'm not overly concerned by the way he is playing or anything like that.
"I think he is playing nicely and it's just one Test match. I think it is always wrong to judge people on the basis of two innings because you can get a couple of good balls and unfortunately that is the way the game is."
England have to decide the make-up of their team for the match in Durban.
They only played four specialist bowlers in the opening draw at Centurion, with specialist extra batsman Ian Bell contributing just seven runs in his two innings.
"We're very mindful of picking the right side for the conditions here," said Strauss.
"Sometimes you're looking into the crystal ball a little bit, because you're not entirely sure how the wicket is going to play and what conditions will be later on in the match."
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