Two Rawalpindi Tests, almost two years apart, have provided the highest highs and the lowest lows of the Bazball era.

In 2022, England pulled off one of their greatest overseas victories, on the way to a stunning 3-0 victory over Pakistan that took their record under Ben Stokes to nine wins from 10 Tests. Two years on, they were spun out on the same ground on the way to a humbling nine-wicket defeat to complete a humbling 2-1 defeat by a Pakistan side who had recently lost six Tests in a row.

The general consensus is that England have progressed and matured under Stokes and Brendon McCullum, but series defeat has cast doubt on that thesis.

Telegraph Sport assesses how healthy the England team are now compared to two years ago.

Batting

In 2022, England made 500 in 75 overs on the opening day of the series, the zenith of a year of transformation in approach. England had built a formidable batting order that played its shots – but had not been taken far out of its comfort zone.

Two years on, and the players are largely the same. They still have truly stunning days, but have been badly exposed in spinning conditions, with only Ben Duckett and Joe Root appearing to have a method.

Ollie Pope and Ben Stokes’s play against spin has been particularly worrying, with the former’s place under the microscope. Both Pope and Zak Crawley’s Test averages (32 and 34) are simply not high enough to give England’s batting a really beefy look.