Ever since 1982, when the Imran Khan led squad won its second Test on England soil after a 28-year gap, Pakistan's track record at Lord's, with the exception of the '99 World Cup Final, has been rather good. When I met the captain Waqar Younis and some of his charges, they seemed to be determined to keep it up on the eve of this first of the two Tests, starting on Thursday.

Saeed Anwar: Much will depend upon him Photo © CricInfo

In taking on England in their own backyard, the one real area of concern for the Pakistanis is that the series falls in the wetter part of the summer. And weather could turn out to be the green caps' nemesis, for they are likely to find out that the conditions can be fairly damp on the first day at Lord's, just as they were before the World Cup final in 1999.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, there was quite a bit of drizzle, pushing the water table up, which means lots of moisture on the surface and quite a bit of movement off the seam. So the Pakistanis have to be wary, and make sure that they are not ambushed by the damp environment, just as they were by the Aussies in 1999 when they opted to bat first in conditions which cried out to go for the other option.

The good thing for the visitors is that they are not overawed by the task at hand. Not only is the captain quite upbeat about his outfit's prospects, the entire team looks pretty much focussed, and their body language is positive. They have all worked very hard on the nets. This attitude and spirit can make a world of difference in what is likely to be a very tough series with England wanting to extend their excellent run of four triumphant series over the last year or so.

In seaming conditions, the Pakistan batting will have to come to terms with the extravagant movement of the ball. It is imperative to put 300-plus runs on the board if they are put in first to give the bowlers a realistic chance to have a go at England. To this end much will depend on Inzamam-ul-Haq, Saeed Anwar and Yousuf Youhana. It is their responsibility to not only provide the bulk of the runs but also to carry the rest of the batting along, forging partnerships all the way to the tail-end.

One little snag here is that Inzamam and Youhana haven't had a good outing in the middle so far. On the five occasions that the two of them have been to the crease, the sum total of their contributions is a paltry 40 runs.

But both Inzamam and Youhana are indisputably class acts who have scored runs in all sorts of conditions. Inzamam's record reflects that 10 out of his 13 Test hundreds have come abroad – a statistic which he can truly be proud of for it indeed is a unique phenomenon in contemporary cricket.

The big man usually saves his best for the big occasion, and has been a very consistent performer in the last two years, since his elevation to vice-captain. So Lord's might see him on song, and that would surely replace the frowns on the Pakistani supporters' faces with broad smiles.

Youhana for his part is a batsman in the classic mould, with a sound technique. He is coming back from an injury and it is hoped that he too can contribute his share of runs.

A bit of worry regarding Inzamam and Youhana's form is offset to a great extent by the form of Saeed Anwar, who seems to be in really good nick and has clubbed his way to a near century, following it up with a double hundred against Derbyshire. When he is in his element, Pakistan are assured of runs at the top of the order, and that is always great because it also avoids early exposure of the other batsmen.

Mohammad Wasim was likely to partner Anwar as opener, but he seemed to be all over the place. His square-on stance is not going to work in England, and the Pakistani think tank having quickly assessed that, promoted Saleem Elahi up the order. He grabbed the opportunity with both hands, and is likely to fill that role at Lord's with the doughty Youngster Faisal Iqbal possibly making it at number three.

Pakistan's bowling is likely to thrive here with the two Ws again trying to provide the lead as Shoaib Akhtar misses out on fitness grounds, while Mohammad Sami also needed to undergo a fitness test after a slight injury to his shin. But Waqar has enough reserves to fall back on in the pace department with all-rounders Abdur Razzaq and Azhar Mahmood having the ability to make the ball talk. With his six for 34 against Derbyshire, I believe Saqlain Mushtaq is most likely to get the one spinner's slot.

That the eleven has not been decided on the eve of the Test and there has been this keen jostling for slots is, to my mind, good for the team. The competition keeps everyone on his toes, and is a sure-fire way of chasing complacency away.

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