Sultans of swing will call the tune at Lord's

But beating Pakistan over there before Christmas doesn't make this two-Test series a formality. Far from it. The tourists have one of the best-balanced attacks in the world and their quick bowlers will be straining at the leash after being largely marginalised during the winter by dead pitches at home. It is no coincidence that veterans Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram have never tasted defeat in this country: they are superb bowlers on our pitches.

If Pakistan need any extra incentive, their pride will have been hurt by being relegated to a minor Test series that will be finished almost before the summer has begun.

But the one area where England do appear to have an advantage is with the bat. Pakistan will be relying heavily on Inzamam-ul-Haq and Saeed Anwar, who have toured here before, and Yousuf Youhana, who hasn't.

Youhana was a key player during the winter, giving great stability in the middle order, and how he copes with the ball moving off the seam may prove to be a key factor because Lord's pitches always offer help to the seamers in May and preparations won't have been helped by the very wet winter.

Not that England's batsmen, with the exception of Marcus Trescothick, have been terrorising county attacks so far this summer. After a winter away it's difficult to adapt quickly back to domestic conditions where you need quicker and more precise foot movement to cope with the ball nipping around. Graham Thorpe, despite his runs against Northants, must be finding it particularly tough after seeming to spend most of February and March at the crease in Sri Lanka.

The draining effects, both mentally and physically, of batting hour after hour on the Indian sub-continent stay with you for weeks. It's not an easy thing to explain to someone who hasn't experienced it but I remember it took me more than a month to start feeling myself again after a successful series in India in 1985, and I'd be surprised if the Surrey left-hander has fully recovered yet.

It is much easier for the bowlers to return to English conditions because they really only have to concentrate on pitching the ball in the right areas. Everything else is much the same - minus the 100 degree heat.

But I wonder whether Darren Gough and Andy Caddick won't still be a bit rusty with little more than one full county game behind them. England's opening attack need enough overs under their belts because both are rhythm bowlers and can look out of sorts if they are not in the groove.

Trying to balance the need to rest after a long, hot winter and shaking out the cobwebs with a couple of long spells has to be worked out by the coach and bowler together and I'd be very surprised if Duncan Fletcher would have pulled either Gough or Caddick out of the first round of county games without consulting each of them at some length.

It says much for England's new policy of continuity that we can be confident there will be no surprises in Thursday's line-up. So let's have more of the same on the field as well please, lads.