England & Pakistan

And so Pakistan continue to confound. Rubbish on one day, world beaters on the next. No team swings from good to rubbish as much as Pakistan do. I'm glad they managed to come back - it's been a riveting series so far, despite the fairly one sided nature of the first 2 tests. It would have been disappointing if the fourth test had nothing to play for. As it stands, the series is poised superbly with both teams having a chance to get something out of the series at the conclusion of the last test.

England's fantastic summer has not managed to conceal a few weaknesses that they will need to address prior to the ashes. Whatever happens to the Aussies in India, there's no doubt that they will be a much tougher opponent than either Bangladesh or Pakistan once the Ashes come around. Australia are a difficult team to break down at home and England will need to fire on all cylinders if they hope to win their first Ashes tour down under in over 2 decades.

Strauss, Trott & Collingwood have all got starts without carrying on. They cannot afford to waste starts against Australia. Australia are certainly not going to be as generous as Pakistan were on the field. In good batting conditions, Australia are also likely to put up much bigger scores than the ones Pakistan have managed in this series. Cook's 100 will give him some breathing space, but only just. The fact is that's he's looked completely out of touch right through this series. KP is a couple of bad games away from being dropped. Who could have possibly imagined that even six months ago? The bouncier conditions in Australia, though, may suit his style of play. Bell should slot in place of Morgan.

The bowling's test will be whether they can replicate the success achieved at home, away. I've believed for a while now that Anderson given the right conditions is right up there with the best in the world. His problem has been the inability to bowl half as well once he's out of his comfort zone. The ball's not going to swing anywhere near as much in Australia, so it will be interesting to see how Anderson copes.

In theory, Broad & Finn should find the conditions in Australia to their liking. Both of them are tall and 'hit the pitch' kind of bowlers. They don't rely on swing as much as Anderson does. Both of them are still pretty young and will be playing in Australia for the first time. Australia will definitely target them and how they respond may decide the destination of the urn.

Pakistan have for me made giant strides on this tour. Whatever happens in the fourth test, Pakistan have showed that their cricket is still in relatively good health. Their batting & catching must improve a great deal if they are going to win more consistently. Nevertheless, the raw materials are in place and if managed properly, this young bunch will go far.

If Pakistan bring back Younis, the middle order reads Butt (assuming he continues batting at 3), Younis, Yousuf & Umar Akmal. Akmal needs to work on his temperament, the talent is certainly there. This is not a bad middle order by any stretch of the imagination. Azhar Ali has gone from strength to strength as the series has gone on and may be asked to open. Given his lack of experience it may be a bit of a risk. However, Ali has shown the temperament required at test level and may be the best candidate for the job. Haider's arrival will mean Kamran Akmal will constantly be under pressure to deliver. This may actually help him in improving his glove work which is shoddy to say the least.

Pakistan's bowling line up is far more settled. I've tried to think of a better bowling line up in world cricket at the moment and must confess that it's difficult to look past Pakistan. Aamir has got that x-factor that so many great cricketers possess. We will be hearing a lot about him in the future. Asif is one of the cleverest bowlers going around at the moment. My only reservation against Asif is whether he will be able to be as effective on flatter tracks. Asif was never quick, but he seems to have lost a couple of yards of pace. He makes up for it with intelligent changes of pace and uses the angles that he creates very effectively. But again, whether this will work on the shirtfronts of the subcontinent or even in Australia / South Africa where there is more bounce than swing will need to be seen. It's too early to comment on Riaz, but between him and Gul, Pakistan have got good competition for the third seamer's role.

The battle between Swann and Ajmal in the last test made for some fascinating viewing. Swann's the best spinner in the world now by a fair distance. He turns the ball big and is one of the few old school off spinners around. Ajmal by contrast is like most modern day subcontinental spinners. Yes, he's got a good off break, but his real strength is the doosra. He disguises the doosra very well and apparently even Pakistani batsman have a problem in picking it. As long as he refrains from over-bowling the doosra, something that may other subcontinental bowlers have been guilty of in the past, he should be an asset to the side.

England are amongst the top 2-3 sides in world cricket today. Pakistan are rebuilding and look to be heading in the right direction. Watching how these to teams progress from here, over the next year or so is going to be very interesting.