England the hunted - Strauss

Andrew Strauss, the England Test captain, has said the challenge of staying at No. 1 in the ICC Test rankings will be the toughest task yet for his side. After a rare two-month break - and a longer lay-off for Strauss who hasn't played since September - England return to action against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in January well aware that they are now the team everyone is trying to catch.

When Pat Cummins pulled the winning boundary against South Africa at the Wanderers, not only did it complete one of the most memorable debuts in Test history but it also meant that England could not be overtaken at the top of the rankings before they take the field again. If South Africa had won all their home Tests - the two against Australia and three against Sri Lanka - they would have leapfrogged England. However, despite being guaranteed top spot into 2012 there will be no basking in reflected glory when England arrive in Dubai.

"We all recognise that the next 12-18 months will be the biggest challenge we've had as a group," Strauss said. "It's a very different mindset being the hunted rather than the hunters and we are going have to retain that desperate desire to improve. It's an exciting time for us, but we don't underestimate the size of the challenge. There are a lot of teams that want to knock us off our perch."

Since Australia held the top ranking it has become a more fluid title. South Africa only managed five months in the position, having overtaken Australia in August 2009, before losing their title to India in December of that year. India remained No. 1 for 20 months until they lost to England at Edgbaston in August 2011.

Strauss, who now only plays Test cricket, will increase his own preparations for the Pakistan series when he flies out to India with the England performance programme squad for a training camp in Pune and Mumbai.

He will be joined by Matt Prior and Eoin Morgan, who had shoulder surgery towards the end of the English season, while a number of key pace bowlers are heading to South Africa. England then have two warm-up matches in Dubai before the first Test on January 17.

"I can't wait for the training camp," Strauss said. "It will be a fantastic way to prepare for the rest of the winter. It's important we hit the ground running in Dubai and the more preparation we can do prior to getting there the better."

England's rise to No. 1 has helped make them a very attractive commercial product, which will have played a key part in the 10-year sponsorship deal with Investec for home Test matches that was announced at Lord's on Wednesday. They will not want to see their prime investment slip from the top any time soon.