JAMES Anderson believes England will take confidence out of their final-day rearguard as they secured an unlikely draw against Australia in the opening npower Test at Cardiff yesterday.

Last pair Anderson and Monty Panesar defied Australia’s bowlers for 69 balls to secure a draw for the hosts and keep them level in the series heading into the second Test at Lord’s on Thursday.

‘‘It is huge for us. To go to Lord’s in a couple of days now still level in the series is a massive boost for us,’’ Anderson said.

‘‘It was a tricky last couple of overs. We played fantastic today and Colly (Paul Collingwood) was absolutely awesome. I’m just glad to get out of it with a draw.’’ Collingwood was the mainstay of the innings, facing 245 balls for his 74, before he was caught by Mike Hussey at gully off Peter Siddle with 45 minutes to play.

At that point England looked doomed until the last pair held firm and Panesar, who Collingwood has taken under his wing as a batting buddy this summer, praised his mentor for his efforts.

‘‘It’s amazing what he did today. He made a fantastic contribution to us drawing the game,’’ Panesar said.

‘‘He’s been throwing me balls and working really hard with me on my batting and it has paid off today.’’