England captain Andrew Strauss believes that Pakistan will provide his side with a "stern challenge" during the upcoming Test series between the two nations.

Strauss has guided England to the top of Test world rankings in recent months but has insisted that everyone must move on from that achievement.

"Getting to number one in the rankings is nothing, really," Strauss told a press conference. "It's your name on a piece of paper, that's all it is.

"There's always a new challenge ahead of you, this one coming up against Pakistan is a very stern challenge.

"Whenever an England side go to the subcontinent it's a challenge anyway because it requires a different set of skills to win out here."

England player their first warm-up fixture on Saturday afternoon against an ICC Combined Associate and Affiliate XI.