Brilliant England prove that "Bazball" can prosper away from home as they take down Pakistan

How could it be otherwise after England sealed a 2-0 series win in Multan, doubling the number of Test victories that they have achieved in Pakistan in the space of a fortnight?

To the triumphs under Ted Dexter in Lahore in 1961 and Nasser Hussain in Karachi in 2000 can be added those in Rawalpindi and Multan, meaning that England have answered the critical question going into the series - can “Bazball” prosper away from home?

You bet, and who would now bet against England completing a clean sweep at the National Stadium as they seek a ninth - yes, ninth - win in 10 Tests under Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.

Let’s flashback to April for a second.

When Stokes was appointed after Joe Root’s resignation, England had won just one of their previous 17 Tests, losing 11.

Chris Silverwood, the head coach, and Ashley Giles, the managing director of cricket, were casualties of the sorry Ashes campaign and it was all change at the top, with Rob Key replacing Giles and then McCullum taking over from Silverwood.

This correspondent, it should be admitted, was among those critical of Key’s appointment - I seem to remember writing that England might just as well have appointed the American singer/songwriter Alicia Keys for all the good it might do.

But credit where credit is due; Key got the big calls right (Stokes and McCullum) and England have not looked back.

Sterner tests lie in wait, and it’s important to bear that in mind as we savour the news from the subcontinent.

Let’s face it, this is not a great Pakistan side when measured against some of their stars of the past.

There is no Imran Khan, no Javed Miandad, no Abdul Qadir, no Wasim Akram, no Waqar Younis (other Pakistan legends are available).

It is, at best, a functional team, palpably lacking in the leadership skills that England possess and muddled in terms of thinking and selection, which sometimes seems politically motivated.

It will be different when Australia visit next summer for a series which has all the makings of a corker - 2005 Mark II, perhaps.

At the same time, England will not fear Australia, and nor should they. Under Stokes and McCullum, they are making the extraordinary look ordinary, the remarkable look unremarkable; eight wins out of nine is no flash-in-the-pan.

Yes, there is room for improvement; yes, they are still prone to a batting collapse (they lost their last five wickets for 19 runs in the second innings in Multan); and, yes, the spin department is nothing to write home about, hardly helped by our first-class system.

But they are brilliant to watch and doing so much for the game in general. To perform as they are is brilliant to see.

At the heart of it all is that man Stokes.

When he took over, it had the air of a default appointment; there seemed to be no other viable choice.

Even so, there was talk of the captaincy potentially harming his all-round capabilities and it was a risk that some did not want to take.

Had there been a serious alternative, England might well have decided it was a risk too far, but Key determined that Stokes was not just the only man for the job, but the right man, too.

Fast forward nine months and the critics and sceptics are few and far between.

Stokes is proving to be everything you would want in a captain - he leads from the front (mere mortals follow) and is tactically astute, driven and fearless.

If Brian Close was still alive, even ‘Closey’ would have to concede that Stokes makes his own fearless style archaic by comparison.

“Bloody crackers, that Stokes,” one can hear Close saying in admiring fashion, just before putting a bet on the 3.45 at Catterick.

Test cricket cannot take its primacy for granted.

Twenty20 competitions are springing up all over; bowlers can earn a heap of money for sending down four overs.

Stokes and England are breathing new life into Test cricket and bringing it up-to-date in a quickly-changing world.

They recognise the importance of entertainment as much as results.

It remains only to congratulate Stokes and England on an excellent achievement - functional Pakistan team or not - because every away win is hard-fought nowadays.

They have not only won, they have won in the right way and left everyone clamouring to watch a final Test which, even though the series is done, most England fans will not want to miss.