DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Fast bowler James Anderson is counting on England's batsmen to show their quality in the third test against Pakistan after below-par performances in two defeats.

Pakistan's spinners have tamed the England batters on turning pitches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi for convincing victories by 10 wickets and by 72 runs. England face being swept by Pakistan for the first time in a test series.

"I think the mood is very good considering the position we are in, in this series," Anderson said.

"The whole team has confidence in the batting unit ... we have every faith in our batsmen that they will come out stronger in the next test."

Anderson and Stuart Broad have combined for 13 of a possible 30 wickets in the two tests, but they pale in comparison to the 29 of 40 wickets collected by Pakistan spin duo Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman.

England's batsmen have disappointed more than the bowlers on the unexpectedly slower-than-normal pitches in the Emirates, where England was playing tests for the first time.

England has only once passed Pakistan in an innings total when it took a 70-run first-innings lead in the second test, and that was made possible by Broad's aggressive half century after the top order struggled again.

Anderson believed the pitches have some bite for fast bowlers, too.

"Seamers have taken plenty of wickets; Broady bowled well in the last game and Umar Gul got wickets in the first test, it is just that spinners have outshone us in the first two tests," Anderson said.

England has two more tough series this year against Sri Lanka and India in the subcontinent and Anderson believed winning the third test beginning on Friday would boost England's confidence for the next tour.

"The biggest thing for us is that we have two other tours in the subcontinent," he said. "It's really important that everyone stays together. Losing test matches is not going to help us achieve that so we must try and win every test."