Moin Khan has a big decision to make ahead of the final Test

Just as he was in Faisalabad, Moin Khan, the Pakistan skipper, will be presented with two pitches in Karachi - one green and one dusty.

In the continued absence of Shoaib Akhtar, and with England having triumphed on green pitches in their first and third warm-up matches, principally through the efforts of seamer Matthew Hoggard, Moin will almost certain opt again for the dusty surface.

But where the ball turned and bounced in the last two one-day internationals, exposing England's weakness against top quality spinners, the supposed spin-friendly surfaces of the Tests have offered no such assistance for Saqlain & Co.

Quite why the Lahore of the one-dayer spat like a cobra, but the Lahore of the Test dribbled like an infant, only the groundsman can know.

One thing that is certain, however, is that England's memories of Karachi will be fond.

Stalemate

It was there that they successfully chased 305 to win the first one-day international under the National Stadium lights, but Pakistan's spinners were rendered impotent on that occasion by the evening dew.

It will, therefore, be up to the Karachi groundsman to provide a surface with more bounce than Faisalabad, which itself was a vast improvement on Lahore.

Otherwise, England and Pakistan are once again heading for stalemate.

Incredibly, three of the previous six England tours to Pakistan, all of them three-Test series, have ended in 0-0 draws.

True, the country has a reputation for dead pitches - it is not for nothing that the subcontinent generally is known as a fast bowler's graveyard - but Pakistan made clear from the start that they would be using home advantage to undermine England's confidence.

Instead, it is England who enter the final Test with fewer questions to answer.

On England's last two tours to Pakistan they were beaten in the first Test and drew the next two.

Pakistan will be seeking to prepare a wicket to suit Saqlain's strengths

Surprise, surprise the formula for success was the same on both occasions - spin, spin and more spin.

Twice Abdul Qadir, Pakistan's virtuoso leg-spinner, was unreadable (in 1986/87 even the umpire, Shakeel Khan, struggled - but that is another story).

In 1983/84, Qadir returned 5/74 and 3/59 as England stumbled to 182 and 159.

And though Pakistan made heavy weather of reaching their target of 65, with left-arm spinner Nick Cook taking 5/18, they made it home three wickets in hand.

And on the infamous Gatting tour, Qadir worked his way to figures of 9/56 and 4/45 as England were bowled out for 175 and 130. This time Pakistan triumphed by an innings.

Of the other 19 England wickets to fall in those Tests, the other spinners accounted for 13 of them.

It all leads to a simple conclusion: Saqlain Mushtaq and Danish Kaneria should be licking their fingers all the way to Karachi.

If they don't find conditions there more to their liking, then Pakistan will have shot themselves in the foot.