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It may lack the history - and hype - of the Ashes or the revenue potential of a tour by India, but rarely has a Test series promised as much as this encounter between England and Pakistan.These are two fine if slightly flawed sides who could, by years end, be rated No. 1 in the Test rankings. And, as well as arguably the two best swing bowlers in the world, this series will also feature (again, arguably) the worlds best spinner, one of the worlds most exciting allrounders and the two highest run-scorers in the history of either Test team. Evenly matched teams who play, on the whole, attractive cricket and will be watched by good-sized crowds with over 100,000 tickets sold for the first four days of the series. It really could be a classic.If England win, they will hold the trophies in every bilateral series against other Test nations. While not a unique achievement, it would be an impressive one and reflects well upon a side that may well still be a year or two away from its peak. It is, after all, barely 18 months since the disappointing tour of the Caribbean and only just over two years since they were defeated at home by Sri Lanka. These remain relatively early days in the England recovery.Pakistan, by contrast, are reaping the rewards for sticking with many of the same players for half-a-dozen years and appear to have an excellent opportunity to secure a rare away victory. It is not just that they have prepared more thoroughly than at any time in recent history, with training camps stretching six weeks ahead of the first game of the tour, or that they are boosted by the return of a left-arm bowler of rare skill. It is that they will play England on the least typically English surfaces - Lords, Old Trafford and The Oval - that may negate some of Englands seam threat and bring into play the one area where Pakistan are indisputably stronger: spin bowling. Home advantage, while not surrendered, has not been exploited as it was against Australia.In this first Test especially, where they are without Ben Stokes and James Anderson, England look just a little vulnerable. On a Lords surface that rarely favours Englands traditional skills - it may well turn out to be the last Test wicket prepared by Lords groundsman Mick Hunt, who is contemplating retirement after spending his entire career at the ground - Pakistans batsman have an opportunity to build the type of total that their legspinner, Yasir Shah, can exploit. Jake Ball is a fine, skilful bowler with an exciting future. But he has only been a first-choice player in Nottinghamshires Championship side for a few months and clearly cannot hope to replicate the experience of Anderson.England do have some significant advantages, though. Once Stokes returns, they have a lower-middle-order that can dig them out of trouble - with Moeen Ali back to No. 8 and Chris Woakes at No. 9 - compared to the likes of Mohammad Amir (who has a Test batting average of 12.63) and Yasir Shah (who has a Test batting of 10.46). The partnerships between Moeen and Stuart Broad were crucial in helping England win the 2015 Ashes; they could prove just as crucial this summer.England also have more depth with the ball. Pakistan are, at present, committed to a four-man attack. On the flat pitches anticipated, that leaves their three seamers and one spinner with a heavy workload in a four-Test series that features two sets of back-to-back Tests. Yes, England went to No. 1 in the world with their four-man attack. But it took a heavy toll on some of the participants. Equally, for all the worries about Englands middle-order - and Gary Ballances Test average of 47 might assuage some of them - the Pakistan opening pair look every bit as fragile. And, for all the experience and skill of Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan, their combined age is now 80. They will not want to be exposed too early to the new ball. Pakistans fitness and fielding, while improved and improving, is still not the standard they would like. In a tight series, such factors could be crucial.It is no secret that previous series between these sides - at least, previous series played in England - have been bedevilled by controversy and ill-feeling. So awful was the relationship between the teams after the Tests of 2010, that Englands players held a vote over whether they wanted to complete the limited-over series. In previous years, we had seen arguments over ball tampering, reverse swing, allegations of umpiring bias and match-fixing. There were, no doubt, faults on both sides with the 2010 spot-fixers bringing shame on their sport and Englands concerns over reverse swing evaporating once they themselves learned how to do it.But those days are gone. Misbah inherited a fearful mess when he was appointed captain, but he has built a strong team in desperately testing circumstances and ensured corruption has been eradicated. Few figures in modern cricket history - not even Brendon McCullum - have done so much to shape the spirit with which their side play. Few figures in modern cricket history warrant as much respect.Meanwhile, an England side that regularly includes two Muslim players - most notably Moeen who has embraced the position of role-model and bridge builder - has become a little more respectful, a little more mature and a little more worldly in their outlook. The relationship between the sides is vastly improved.There is no reason the relationship between the supporters should not be equally harmonious. While the Barmy Army trumpeter, Billy Cooper, has been researching prison-themed songs to play when Amir is in action, the organisation hope such gestures are taken in good humour and staged a match against the National Asian Cricket Council on Wednesday evening with a view towards recruiting more Asian members.While the term Barmy Army is often applied loosely to cover most England supporters, the actual Barmy Army have distanced themselves from the booing of Ricky Ponting in previous years and the chants aimed at Mitchell Johnson. Were not about booing great players, their founder, Paul Burnham, told ESPNcricinfo. We want England to win but we want to see good cricket and we respect our opponents. Burnham insists - pretty much without smiling - that the original rhyme was his bowlings not right.There is a wider context, too. Recent weeks have suggested that the roots of multiculturalism in England and Wales are not as deep as many of us believed. It would be na?ve to ignore the rise in hate-crime - some of it Islamaphobic - and not be on our guard against it at these games. It would be sickening if legitimate reservations over the return of Amir were exploited by those with agendas against the beliefs of the team or, more pertinently, its supporters. And it would be sickening if it occurred and the authorities took the same look the other way approach they have sometimes adopted in the past.But we have seen, be it in Afghanistan, Ireland, Rwanda or Englands inner-cities, crickets ability to unite. This Test series is an opportunity to witness not just top-class cricket but to remind ourselves that England at its best, is a tolerant, multi-cultural nation that celebrates its sporting successes while respecting its opponents. On and off the pitch, the next few weeks have the potential to restore spirits. Custom Toronto Blue Jays Jerseys . They had already blown a double-digit lead, fans were hitting the exits, and a long seven-game road trip waited at the end. Toronto Blue Jays Store . -- Whether Jeremy Hill deserves a prominent role in LSUs offence this early in the season is a matter for debate. https://www.cheapbluejays.com/ . - Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie never doubted he would bring back coach Dennis Allen for a third year despite back-to-back 4-12 records. Blue Jays Jerseys 2019 . -- Linebacker Myles Jack ran for four touchdowns, defensive end Cassius Marsh caught a scoring pass, and No. Fake Blue Jays Jerseys . Vaives lawyer Trevor Whiffen claims the former 50-goal man wasnt provided with a copy of the claim beforehand and that he would not have agreed to the allegations made against the NHL had he been asked to review its contents.This weeks Houston Open offers one final opportunity for PGA Tour players to qualify for the Masters. Heres a look at some of the players in need of a win to earn the last available invite to Augusta... Patton Kizzire (world No 57)Kizzire has made plenty of progress since graduating from the Web.com Tour last season, kicking off this campaign with four top-10 finishes to move up to a career-high world ranking. A tied-second display at Octobers Shriners Hospitals for Children Open was the best of the early-season results, with Kizzire also upstaging Bubba Watson and this weeks defending champion JB Holmes to progress to the last 16 of the WGC Match Play. Kizzire won two titles on the Web.com Tour last season Even if the American doesnt qualify this time around, a future major appearance would seem to be only a matter of time.Matt Jones (world No 64)The 35-year-olds only Masters appearance came after he defeated Matt Kuchar in a play-off in Houston two years ago to claim a maiden PGA Tour title, with Jones now in need of a repeat result this time around.Jones narrowly missed out on ending last year inside the worlds top 50 despite an impressive showing at the PGA Championship, where he held the 36-hole lead, as well as victory on home soil ahead of Jordan Spieth and Adam Scott at the Australian Open. Jones ended 2015 with a one-shot win on home soil The Australian has been out of touch in recent weeks, following three consecutive missed cuts on the PGA Tour with a first-round exit in Austin last week.Kevin Chappell (world No 69)Four years on from his only Augusta performance, Chappell would need to claim a maiden PGA Tour title to break in to next weeks field for the opening major of the year. Chappell has already suffered two near-misses this season with runner-up finishes at the RSM Classic and in his last start at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, with that second-place finish at Bay Hill parachuting him back in to the worlds top 100. Could a first win be not too far away? Gary Woodland (world No 71)Woodland hasnt been able to follow on from the record which saw him reach the final of last years WGC Match Play, where he was beaten by Rory McIlroy, registering just one further top-10 finish since that busy week in San Frannsisco.dddddddddddd Woodland finished tied-18th at Torrey Pines The American had been up to world No 37 after a solid run in the FedExCup play-offs at the back end of last season, but had fallen out of the worlds top 50 by the turn of the year.Although his early exit from Bay Hill earlier this month was his first missed cut of 2016, the closest Woodland has come to being in contention in his seven starts this year was when he was unable to convert a 36-hole joint-lead at the Farmers Insurance Open. Ryan Palmer (world No 73)The American made a flying start to last years Masters when he reached the turn four under on the opening day, but will need to produce something special this week to get another chance at Augusta. Ryan Palmers last win came at the 2010 Sony Open Palmer previously finished inside the top-10 in the opening major of the year back in 2011, although the 39-year-old hasnt been able to find a similarly high finish on the PGA Tour at any point this season.Now on a six-year winless run worldwide, Palmer heads to Houston hoping to find an improved performance than he managed in a tied-60th finish at Bay Hill a fortnight ago. Best of the rest… Padraig Harrington qualified for last years Masters after Honda Classic victory Former back-to-back Open champion Padraig Harrington leads the list of ex-major winners looking to qualify, with former US Open title holders Lucas Glover and Stewart Cink also in action this week.Two years after ending joint runner-up at Augusta, Jonas Blixt needs a victory in Houston to make a third Masters appearance in as many years, while John Senden has to win if hes to make a fifth visit in a row.Watch the Shell Houston Open throughout the week live on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golf Also See: Houston Open betting preview 2015 recap: Holmes takes title WGC Match Play talking points Golf live on Sky Sports 4 ' ' '