England settled, but tougher decisions to come

The fact that England's squad for the Test series against Pakistan was predictable, and its announcement underwhelming, says much about the team's consistency, which has led them to the top of the rankings. Fifteen of this unit travelled to Australia last November for the Ashes; only the retired Paul Collingwood is missing. Nothing fancy or clever was needed from the selectors and they duly delivered.

It wasn't always like this. In previous generations there was often the wildcard pick, sometimes based on a match-winning performance in the NatWest Trophy final or similar one-day tournament, but those days are long gone. Loyalty has served England well in recent years, but that goes hand in hand with having a group of cricketers at the top of their game.

Even the players who are outside a likely starting eleven provoke little debate. Chris Tremlett and Steven Finn would make it into many other Test teams and Monty Panesar was the only realistic option for the second spinner. Steven Davies' selection as the back-up wicketkeeper shows there is more certainty over the identity of England's reserve Test glove man than there probably is over the first-choice option for the one-day team.

Ravi Bopara is the most fortunate of the 16; not because of his bit-part performances in two Tests against India - walking in at 596 for 4 at Edgbaston and 487 for 5 at The Oval were the ultimate no-win situations - but because he failed to kick on during the one-day series in India in October having ended the summer strongly. Test-match judgements can't necessarily be made based on one-day performances, but Bopara's career has been a constant tale of one step forward and a couple backwards.

If the selectors had wanted to give the squad greater flexibility they could have included Jonny Bairstow as both reserve batsman and wicketkeeper and added Samit Patel for his all-round ability. However, Andy Flower remains unconvinced about Patel's fitness while Bairstow is a raw gloveman and struggled against spin in the one-day series in India. His winter can be better spent honing skills with the England Lions in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

The other element that has changed the dynamics of naming touring squads is the lack of cricket outside the internationals. England have two warm-up matches before the first Test - and that verges on generous these days - but then the five-day games are back-to-back. It means the value of including a young player (or two) for the experience and chance to learn is diminished because they are likely to spend weeks carrying drinks.

It is one of the many wise moves the ECB has made to run Lions tours concurrently with the international trips in similar conditions - and, sometimes, such as last winter in Australia, stage them in the same country - because it means players are given the opportunity of match practice. For example James Taylor will be better served with the Lions, where he can undergo extensive training and middle practice, rather than endless 12th man duties. The same applies to the next-in-line spinners - Scott Borthwick, Simon Kerrigan and Danny Briggs - who will push for Panesar's slot in the future.

Although intrigue didn't surround the initial naming of the squad, it will come later once the players arrive in the UAE and a decision needs to be taken on the balance of the side. It will take a lot to persuade Flower and Andrew Strauss to move away from their tried and trusted method. They will need to be convinced that a change - whether that is five bowlers or two spinners in a four-man attack - gives England more chance of taking 20 wickets. Since Andrew Flintoff retired two years ago, only once have England played five bowlers, against Bangladesh at Chittagong when James Tredwell earned his one Test cap.

It is not as cut-and-dry as playing two spinners because the surfaces might turn or because that is the balance Pakistan are likely to select. Factors like the heat will also need to be considered, but England's quicks won't shy away from the hard yards. And they have quality support in Tremlett and Finn. Reverse swing will be a crucial component, which will bring the old-ball skills of James Anderson and Tim Bresnan to the fore. That head-to-head against Umar Gul and Junaid Khan will be just as crucial as Saeed Ajmal versus Graeme Swann.