Suddenly the Trent Bridge Test, which begins on Thursday, has a bit of spice. England will not be playing a ramshackle band of exiles rudderless in a foreign land. They will be playing the conquerors of mighty Australia. Pakistan have just played four matches against Australia (two Tests and two Twenty20s) and they have won three of them.
Like England, Australia have the benefit of all the sophisticated resources the modern international cricket team crave. They can call on countless specialist coaches and analysts, as well as plush academies back home. They possess a well-oiled support system of administrators and liaison officers. They can play Test matches on their home soil. Both England and Australia are thoroughly modern cricketing units, for want of a much better expression. Pakistan are denied most of these advantages, yet they have just beaten Australia and it is within the realms of possibility that they could beat England as well.
Pakistan's victory at Headingley was remarkable, yet viewed in isolation and taking into account only what was visible on the field rather than all the pre-match shenanigans, it was not so surprising. England's batsmen, if given the chance to watch that Test match, would not be taxed by the question: "Which of the Headingley bowling attacks would offer the greatest threat to you at Trent Bridge?" The answer, very obviously, is "Pakistan's".
Mohammad Aamer, a freakishly mature young talent, and Mohammad Asif, of the ambling run-up and fingertip release of a constantly vertical seam, were streets ahead of any of the Australian bowlers. If there is swing in the air the Pakistan pair can be lethal. The Australians yearn for harder pitches, on which Mitchell Johnson and Dougie Bollinger can benefit from steeper bounce. But the two Aussie southpaws cannot swing the ball conventionally. Trent Bridge can be a friend to swing bowlers. Aamer and Asif will be dangerous.
We knew of the potential of the Pakistan bowlers; we are still learning about their batsmen. Azhar Ali, the calm and composed right-hander, looks as if he has been playing Test cricket for a while, even though his debut was at Lord's. Nor does Umar Amin look out of place, except when bowling his gentle dobbers. Meanwhile Umar Akmal displays obvious talent but no discipline.
So after their victory the call for the return of Younis Khan, one of the recently banned players, is not quite so vociferous. In the short term the presence of Younis would surely strengthen the side, but would it be better in the long term to give all the youngsters their head after the Headingley win? There is no doubt that under the calm and avuncular guidance of coach Waqar Younis the team have remained remarkably relaxed during this tour. Shorn of the baggage of the last year, the youngsters appear to be enjoying an exciting and unexpected journey.
national selector, is unlikely to surprise us when he announces the England squad this morning. The selectors will have debated two spots – the final batsman and the spare fast bowler. Ian Bell's injury means that Miller does not have to drop a batsman to accommodate the return of Paul Collingwood, who was rested for the two Tests against Bangladesh. So the logical assumption is that Eoin Morgan will retain his place and so will Jonathan Trott. If current form was the strongest guide Ravi Bopara would have to be in contention for one of these slots. Bopara, whose late call-up to the one-day squad led to a 16-ball 45 against Bangladesh at Edgbaston, has just reeled off two centuries for Essex against Yorkshire.
There is a long-term case for Bopara as well. England currently favour a four‑man bowling attack, which is a perfectly understandable position. However, it would be useful if at least one of the six batsmen could help out – as Shane Watson and Marcus North have done for Australia. It does not seem to take long for England's batsmen to become reluctant bowlers. At the moment Bopara's bowling offers more than that of his peers.
The pace attack will comprise James Anderson, Stuart Broad, his confidence high after taking eight wickets in an innings for Nottinghamshire against Warwickshire, and Steven Finn, who has just resurfaced from his summer hibernation. Finn's summer will provide some interesting data of the merits of strengthening and conditioning against pounding down the overs on the county circuit – not that Middlesex have had much Championship cricket to play in recent weeks.
In reserve England will have Ajmal Shahzad, Tim Bresnan or Ryan Sidebottom. Shahzad has been hampered by an ankle problem since the ODI series, which might rule him out. Bresnan is much admired within the England camp – and there is much to admire in his combativeness and cheerfulness – but he has yet to convince as a frontline bowler in Test cricket.
So the reserve who would be most welcome in the final XI if there is a late emergency is probably Sidebottom, who knows how to swing the ball on his home ground, without any of the lethal fluidity of Aamer.