30 Oct 2015 | Cricket
As England move onto Sharjah for the third Test against Pakistan on the back of a battling albeit comprehensive defeat, the time may well have come to ring the changes.
The focus in the build up to the third Test will be on England's team selection. Jos Buttler and Ian Bell were noticeably under pressure before the Test in Dubai last week; and it was Bell who was able to keep the critics at bay with a determined 46 in the second innings.
Despite his rear-guard, Bell is still in danger of being dropped. As my Twitter poll shows, fan opinion is split on Bell's position, meaning that success or failure in Sharjah could be crucial to the future of his Test career.
England are now considering giving Buttler a rest after a string of poor performances with the bat during this series and stretching back to the summer. In his last 15 test innings he has averaged just 11.
If Buttler was to make way, the obvious move for England would be to hand the gloves to Jonny Bairstow and bring in James Taylor at five.
Taylor has been in fine form for England in the one-day game, scoring 246 runs in the series against Australia and making his maiden hundred in an England shirt.
Taylor hasn't played a Test since 2012 but his reputation as a good player of spin will make him an attractive option if England look to shake up their middle order. Especially after losing 11 wickets in Dubai to the Pakistan spin pairing of Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar.
In a must win match for England, it will also be vital that Moeen Ali and Alastair Cook can gel as an opening partnership. The pair have been steady so far on this tour without forming a formidable pairing. A stand of 116 was solid but not hugely significant on a flat track in Abu Dhabi and scores of 9 and 5 in Dubai exposed both players.
If England are looking to change things at the top of the order then they have Alex Hales waiting in the wings. The Nottinghamshire man is yet to make his Test debut but his forthright style of play may be beneficial in a must win Test.
England's batsmen have had their backs against the wall in the first two Tests after Pakistan's top order has racked up some hugely imposing totals.
England coach Trevor Bayliss has hinted previously that he wouldn't be against playing three spinners if conditions suited. This would perhaps open the door for late squad replacement Samit Patel to make his first Test appearance in nearly three years.
The final test of what has been both an absorbing if occasionally soporific series will be England's final Test before their 4-Test tour of South Africa. While the challenges will be different on that tour, the fillip of a Test win in the UAE would be a good feather in their cap.
Whichever XI take to the pitch for England on Sunday morning in Sharjah, it is sure to be another fiercely competitive battle between two sides who are similarly matched.
If England are able to come away from this series with a draw, it can be seen as success for Bayliss and his men on the back of a summer when they regained the Ashes and lit up the one-day game.