England captain Alastair Cook has admitted that his side have "struggled" with consistency in recent times.

The Three Lions fell to a hefty 199-run defeat at the hands of New Zealand at Headingley this afternoon to draw the two-match Test series against the Black Caps.

Cook's side fell from 177 without loss to 350 all out in the first innings before a top-order collapse on the final day sent them on their way to defeat in their final Test match before The Ashes get underway in July.

"Certainly consistency we've struggled with a little bit over the last year or so," Cook told reporters.

"We've played some really good Test cricket in patches and in other patches, not so good. To win a Test series or a Test match, those crucial moments you need to win or you need to take those opportunities.

"When you get in that habit of real seasoned pros winning games, people stand up at certain times to do it. We're just probably lacking a little bit of that."

Cook recorded a score of 56 during the defeat, becoming the first Englishman to make 9,000 Test runs in the process.