It says everything about the battle England face to compete in one-day cricket when one sits down and takes a look at these two young teams.
 The trophies England are out to win this summer |
Both England and Pakistan had a dramatic clear-out since their disappointing World Cup campaigns, and both started at the top with their captains making way.
But in the three months or so since Australia lifted the trophy in Johannesburg, England have not played a single one day international.
This new look Pakistan team, however, have already won a quadrangular series in Sharjah and been runners-up in a triangular tournament in Sri Lanka. They are up and running.
It is not necessarily so that England do not play enough one-day games - there will by 13 staged over the next few weeks, after all.
It is just that most other countries - especially those in Asia where television audiences drive the game - play so much more.
This proliferation is one item on the agenda for the ICC annual meeting at Lord's this week.
Pakistan took their early exit from the World Cup and, bravely, have made sweeping changes.
Gone are such eminent players as Waqar Younis, Saeed Anwar, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Wasim Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq.
They have been replaced by youngsters, many of whom we have never heard of.
England will look very different too, with a new leader in Michael Vaughan.
Inevitably, it will be Vaughan who will come under the closest scrutiny, but there is plenty of other interest, too.
Chris Read appears to have won his battle against fitness, and the presence of James Foster, to show that he is now ready - at the second attempt - to replace Alec Stewart behind the stumps.
And I am looking forward very much to watch the development of James Troughton in England's middle order.
Above all, though, I hope Rashid Latif's plea to Pakistan's supporters is both heard and heeded.
We do not want to see fireworks or missiles thrown at players, or plastic fencing hastily erected to stop pitch invasions.
These are two exciting young teams starting out on a campaign that will lead them both to the West Indies in 2007, and repeats of the scenes that marred the 2001 NatWest series simply will not be tolerated.
MMIX
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