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As England's cricketers experienced the pleasanter side of 100-degree temperatures yesterday - spit-roasted by Pakistan's batsmen one day, relaxing by the hotel pool the next - they were left to contemplate whether, in terms of this summer's World Cup, a bad experience is better than no experience at all.

While the rest of the cricketing world spends comfortably more time clambering into coloured pyjamas than putting on Test match whites, England are only just beginning to embrace the notion that they might need to do more than merely dabble in one-day cricket if they are to become consistent contenders for the big limited-overs prizes.

India's captain for today's match against England, Mohammad Azharuddin, has spent almost a year of his life playing one-day internationals (322 appearances) and leaving aside the possibility that this is almost enough in itself to turn you into a neurological root vegetable, anyone on the sub-continent yet to play 100 or more of these matches is regarded as a wet behind the ears.

By contrast, England have not played 300 one-day internationals in their history never mind Azhar's 322, and Alec Stewart, who made his first appearance in 1989, has still only clocked up 118 games. Stewart, who celebrated his 36th birthday here yesterday, was slightly miffed by a local newspaper report describing him as ``grey-haired'', although he soon will be if he experiences many more drubbings like the one on Wednesday.

England's game plan for the World Cup is not much more sophisticated than instructing the groundsmen to raise the blades on their lawnmowers, and a warm-up tournament on pitches as hard and smooth as a billiard ball is in danger of draining their already fragile confidence.

Something else being drained in the Pakistan match was the colour from their batsmen's faces as Shoaib Akhtar confirmed that he is now far and away the world's fastest bowler. The electronic speed gun clocked him at the same figures as the temperature (95mph in the shade) which puts him up there alongside Jeff Thomson in his pomp.

It was hard enough for England to chase 323 without having to contend with Shoaib, although they at least gave it a shot. Geoffrey Boycott nonetheless criticised them for not starting more cautiously and preserving wickets, which was precisely the tactic he employed to ensure that England were totally out of the game in the 1979 World Cup final before they had even lost a wicket.

England's prospects of recovering in this series will not be helped either by the continuing distraction of haggling over their World Cup money. Their contracts should have been signed three weeks ago, but after verbal negotiations broke down, the England and Wales Cricket Board's final offer will only be made known to the players when their contracts are flown out for signing - or otherwise - this weekend.

The Board have managed to achieve a shortfall in projected World Cup revenue of around £12 million, and the resultant bout of economising filtered down to the players' World Cup fees. The ECB employ 135 people, and have a wage bill (hopefully including the cost of supplying everyone with blazers) of £3 million. And yet, this super-streamlined body have thus far been unable to announce any playing conditions for the World Cup, or persuade their players to sign a contract.

Meantime, England's prospects of qualifying for the final of this triangular competition next Friday still look pretty good given that India - minus the injured Sachin Tendulkar - were even more soundly whipped by Pakistan in the second of the round-robin matches last night.

Batting first in the desert heat - even when a breeze springs up it hits you like a blow torch - is an immeasurable advantage, and even though Pakistan's 279 was a long way short of their total against England's attack, India's application of the Boycottian theory (47 runs in the first 17 overs) was rather undermined by losing four wickets in the process. Inzamam-ul-Haq earlier made 107 off 115 balls, and Pakistan - always hyper-talented, but now unusually focused as well - are already emerging as favourites for the World Cup.