Andrew Strauss has insisted that his England side have some lessons to learn before they face South Africa at Headingley next Thursday.

England slipped to a heavy defeat against the Proteas at The Oval this afternoon, eventually losing by an innings and 12 runs.

With ten days to go before the second Test match, Strauss believes that his side have improvements to make.

"There are lessons to be learnt and we will learn before next week. We need to make sure we bounce back," he told Sky Sports News.

The skipper went on to praise the South Africans for the way that they played over the past five days.

"I don't think shocked is the right word," he added. "After day one South Africa played some outstanding cricket and didn't allow us back into the game.

"You've got to give them a huge amount of credit for the way that we played."

England must win the two remaining matches in the series to ensure that they retain their number one status.