Flown in but spun out. The venue may have been a one-off but the performance and headlines that greeted the 3-0 whitewash by Pakistan could have been taken from the 80s and 90s. England's performance on the sub-continent was consistent once again, consistently poor.
From beating the Australians down-under for the first time in 24 years to retain The Ashes, to white-washing the Indians to become the number 1 Test team, England showed once again how they easily crumble under any extra pressure to prove they are the best.
To achieve the feat of being the number one team in any sport takes a lot of commitment, careful planning and the need to consistently turn out good performances. In Cricket it arguably takes longer than most other sports, from five-day Tests in a five match series, to numerous days of limited over matches which often make up a gruelling 2 or 3 month tour, it can become to take its toll on any squad. However under the guidance of coach Andy Flower and captain Andrew Strauss it seemed English cricket had finally struck gold on a balanced combination which with it came constant success.
In just under three weeks, the countries most successful sporting team went from being the cream of the crop to once again the laughing stocks of the country. England's performances showed that getting to number 1 is only half the battle. The other half, staying there, is going to need a monumental effort.
However on the sub-continent, as has happened many times, England were out-played in all areas of the game and were quite comfortably span out in a 3-0 whitewash.
The bowlers will walk out of the series with the heads held reasonably high as they once again proved that as a unit they are the best in the world, but the batsman will need to have a long and hard think about what went wrong. If the top 6 come out unchanged for England's next Test series then it will be an injustice to every English batsman there is.
So, just how did England's players actually perform.
Andrew Strauss (captain) - 150 runs at 25.00 - Bat 3/10 Captain 4/10
Contribution with the bat was poor. As an experienced opener he knows the importance of setting a platform for the whole innings and seeing off the new ball. But he failed in both respects but did save himself with a well-fought half-century in the final Test. As captain he was good but not his usual assertive self. Played two spinners in second and third test but only after learning from mistake in first test.
Alastair Cook - 159 runs at 26.50 - 4/10
Shown himself to be one of the best batsman in the world throughout 2011 and would have had high hopes of performing even better in 2012. However he let himself and the team down against Pakistan. A solid 94 in Abu Dhabi should have set up and England win but the team let him down. Overall not a good series and will be hoping to at least double his average by the end of the year.
Jonathan Trott - 161 runs at 26.83 - 3.5/10
The title of Mr Reliable may have disappeared after this series. Usually dependant to hold an innings together coming in at number 3, however he looked uncomfortable throughout the whole series and this is reflected in his average.
Kevin Pieterson - 67 runs at 11.16 - 2/10
Left-arm spin once again his undoing. England's star batsman failed to perform in every innings. An average of 11.16 at any level of the game is far from acceptable. Will be looking for better performances later in the year or his place will be under serious threat.
Ian Bell - 52 runs at 8.5 - 1.5/10
Not even a shadow of his usual self. Quite literally spun out of the game. Makes constant claims that he could become England's number 3, but after this performance he will be lucky to have a place in the England side when they travel to Sri-Lanka in March. Not knowing which way the ball is going to turn left him guessing from the first ball of his innings to the last.
Eoin Morgan - 82 runs at 13.66 - 2.5/10
Not staking a claim to become a consistent Test player. However coming in at 6 should be in a position to boost England's score with some quick fire runs. This wasn't the case as the top order consistently failed. Definitely a limited overs player. Will probably lose his place to Ravi Bopara for the Sri-Lanka series.
Matt Prior - 150 runs at 37.50 - 7/10
Kept wicket very tidily as always and showed why he is the best wicket keeper in the world. Had to come into bat in some horrible circumstances with the top 6 failing time and time again. Did make some useful knocks which once again shows he would be able to bat at 6 which leaves the option of playing 5 bowlers. England's batsman of the series but needs to turn more of his good knocks into match winning centuries.
Stuart Broad - 105 runs at 21.00, 13 wickets at 20.46 - 8/10
Definitely my man of the series for England. Pitches should not have helped him with the ball but bowled consistent line and length which made him look like he would take a wicket with every ball. Another forceful fifty which cements his role as England's all-rounder.
Graeme Swann - 105 runs at 17.50, 13 wickets at 25.07 - 6/10
Slightly disappointing series for Swann. Going to the sub-continent as the Test arenas number 1 spinner he would have liked more wickets on spin-friendly pitches. Stiff competition from Monty Panesar which will make him aware that he needs to up his game for the rest of 2012.
James Anderson - 54 runs at 10.80, 9 wickets at 27.66 - 6.5/10
Always going to be difficult for seam bowlers on flat pitches and this was no different for Anderson. Stuck to his usual game plan but despite the title of England's lead bowler he was out-bowled by Broad and Umar Gul throughout the series. However he was still as reliable as ever for his captain but would have liked a few more wickets.
Monty Panesar - 14 wickets at 21.57 - 7.5/10
Was finally given his chance back in the Test team and took it with both hands. Played extremely well and was very reliable whenever asked to bowl. Tied his end down for the skipper and took more wickets then any England bowler. Spin-friendly conditions but you still have to bowl consistently and aggressively to take wickets and he done this very well.
All in all changes need to be made in the England team for the up-coming series against Sri-Lanka in Sri-Lanka and the West Indies in England. The selectors need to show that they are not afraid to drop the likes of Kevin Pieterson and Ian Bell. Averages of 11.16 and 8.5 respectively are far from acceptable. Overall the bowling unit tried their hardest to keep England in the series but the batsman ruined the hard work time and times again.
Yes, England are still the number 1 Test side in the world, but only just. A quick and serious improvement is going to be needed to stay there.
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