England suddenly face a Test

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, writes Vic Marks in the Observer.

Stephen Brenkley has similar thoughts in the Independent on Sunday.

A question that was continually asked at Headingley during the second Test between Pakistan and Australia concerned which attack any self-respecting batting order would prefer to face. The answer was always the same. Australia's attack has been largely inconsistent and unthreatening, awry in length, especially, and line. Their leading wicket-taker in this short series has been Shane Watson, a muscular bowler who can demand concentration if there is swing around but who should cause no batsman sleepless nights ...

Pakistan's seam-bowling trio, led by the 18-year-old speed merchant Mohammad Aamer, was constantly on the money in Leeds. If conditions helped, they were all convincing in various parts of the match. There will be no cheap runs for England's batsmen and the new ball threatens to provide England's top order with a torrid time.