Azhar Mahmood column

By Azhar Mahmood Pakistan all-rounder

Apart from the first Test, when England were on top for four days, Pakistan dominated and won the series quite easily.

Their morale is really high at the moment but the one-day series will be a different ball game.

In one-dayers you don't have time, if you bowl a bad five or 10 overs or drop a catch, if you drop Marcus Trescothick for example, then you're gone.

England beat Pakistan on their last meeting at Lord's in 2003

It will be a tough series as both sides have excellent potential.

Shahid Afridi is banned for the first two games and it is a big loss for Pakistan because of the way he bats and also his leg-spin, but I think they will manage.

Abdul Razzaq is back and that is a big boost. He will cover Afridi's position, he can dominate with the bat, he's got experience and it's good to see him back in the side.

For me, I'm hoping for a chance at some point in the series and to be part of a winning team.

I've been training really hard. I'm in good nick. I'm just waiting for the selectors!

For England, Ashley Giles is their most experienced spin bowler and they will definitely miss him.

On that last day in Multan they just did not manage against the spin of Danish and that was the turning point of the whole series, and maybe the whole tour

I have played against his replacement Ian Blackwell in county cricket, and he is also a very hard-hitting batsmen.

One-day cricket is all about who handles the situation on any given day.

Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen have not been at their best but if they click for England, they can hit the ball hard.

Michael Vaughan will be missed by England, but I think Trescothick did well as captain with field and bowling changes in the first Test.

On that last day in Multan they just did not cope against the spin of Danish Kaneria - that was the turning point of the whole series, and maybe the whole tour.

England have quality players all round but it's very difficult for them in Pakistan, as the wickets are very different.

The bowlers prefer to bowl short of a length but in Asia you need to bowl a bit fuller and that was the difference in the Tests.

No doubt about Akhtar's dismissal of Giles in the first Test in Multan

The team spirit in the Pakistan camp is better than for a long, long time and now they have Shoaib Akhtar firing as well.

He's the world's fastest bowler, but the main problem with him for the last year-and-a-half has been that he was not fit enough to bowl a lot of overs in an innings.

Batsmen knew he would only be able to bowl three or four overs in a spell during Tests.

But in this series he was able to bowl eight-over spells - that's the key thing.

Shoaib had a tough time with selectors and the Pakistan Cricket Board but he's proved his point.

He's a match-winner, whether in Test or one-day internationals, and now he gets a chance to show his talent in the shorter form of the game.