Inzamam ready for England's challenge

Inzamam-ul-Haq has warned that England will find it tough to replicate their Ashes success when they tour Pakistan later this year for three Tests and five one-day internationals. England achieved a famous 2-1 series win against Australia, wresting back the Ashes after eight consecutive unsuccessful tries, but Inzamam insisted that the result wouldn't count for much in Pakistan.

"They have played very well to beat the Australians but they are not unbeatable and the conditions in Pakistan will not suit them," he told Reuters. "They will face totally different conditions and it will be a hard series and tour for them, particularly their bowlers.

"We are already preparing hard for England. Because we know they have a good combination but are not invincible and we have to work hard to beat them," he said. "If our fast bowlers are not 100% fit, then attacking them with spin is an option because our conditions favour slow bowlers." He also added that Mushtaq Ahmed, the 35-year-old legspinner, could be recalled to bolster the spin attack. Mushtaq has taken 185 wickets in 52 Tests, but the last time he played one was against South Africa in 2003.

England's bowling attack is currently built around their four fast bowlers, and while that might be a handicap in conditions not favourable to pace, in Andrew Flintoff and Simon Jones they have two bowlers who can reverse swing the ball, a skill which should be invaluable in Pakistan. The lack of a world-class spinner, though, has raised question-marks about whether they can beat Pakistan, a concern expressed most recently by Imran Khan.

England have played seven three-Test series in Pakistan, and in those 21 matches, only four have produced results, with both teams sharing two wins each. England's last win there came in near darkness in 2000-01, when Graham Thorpe starred in a victory which won them the series.