Another trial by spin awaits England :

 

Still hurting from the whitewash in the Test series, England now have to try and turn their fortunes around in the format where their record is weakest. Even without the events of recent weeks, it would have been a daunting task given their poor one-day record overseas, and few will be surprised if Pakistan exert superiority again. 

England's last two one-day series overseas ended 6-1 (in Australia) and 5-0 (in India). Throw in another poor World Cup and it's hardly a record to instil confidence. Then there is the prospect of facing at least 40 overs of spin per innings. With all the games being day/night encounters, England's quicks will not be able to exploit any early-morning moisture either. 

That factor further diluted the value of England's warm-up against the Lions, where Jade Dernbach and Steven Finn skittled the second team for 96 during a day game. Meanwhile, Pakistan had a decent workout against a spirited Afghanistan, as Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq took the opportunity to switch into one-day mode. Their experience in the middle order will again be vital. 

For England's batsmen it is a case of trying to learn from the mistakes of the Test series, but not remember the experience so much that it inhibits them. Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan have reputations to salvage while presence of Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott in the top three is likely to provoke further debate. It will be a series to ask many questions of England.