We have known for some time that England are a stronger force at home than they are abroad - the only series victories on tour since the Ashes were retained in 1986/87 have been in New Zealand - but what of their one-day fortunes overseas?

True to form, the results over the past decade make pretty grim reading.

Of the 96 one-day internationals they have played, England have been successful in 37 of them (38.54%) and lost 55 times.

Closer inspection, however, suggests that this has as much to do with their lack of success in the accompanying Test series than their limited-overs prowess.

Where the Test series has been lost, or in the case of Zimbabwe in 1996/97, drawn, England's percentage of victories falls significantly, to just 27.1%.

Compare that to their form overseas where the purpose of the tour has been a limited-overs tournament, and the story is an altogether different one.

England have played in 29 such matches in the past decade in which their success rate has been 55%, including a World Cup final against Pakistan and an Adam Hollioake-led victory in a competition in Sharjah involving Pakistan, India and the West Indies.

It was in the last overseas World Cup, on the Indian sub-continent, where England reached their lowest ebb in one-day cricket.

Having come off the back of a 6-1 drubbing at the hands of South Africa, the only games they won were against United Arab Emirates and Holland, losing to New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka.