England captain Alastair Cook is hoping for a more fruitful series against Pakistan than the last time the two sides met in the UAE when Saeed Ajmal’s brilliance saw the hosts to a 3-0 whitewash.

Ajmal’s 24 wickets in that series, alongside Abdur Rehman’s 19 scalps, saw Pakistan teach England a harsh lesson in a trial by spin.

Only five players return for England in the Test squad this time around, with Cook, James Anderson, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad and Steven Finn looking to lead an inexperienced, yet buoyant England side.

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Cook is relishing righting that wrong when the Test series begins in Abu Dhabi on October 13.

“Going on that last tour we should have won that series,” said Cook.

“We had opportunities to win that series, but credit to Pakistan they hung on in there and played the critical moments well.”

Some of the names looking to play a key part in shaping England’s fortunes in the Emirates were part of the Lions and one-day squads during that dismal 2012 series, but still lack significant overseas tour experience which may play in their favour.

Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Alex Hales and Samit Patel were all part of the T20I and ODI squads that beat Pakistan at the conclusion of the Test series, while Joe Root played under captain James Taylor for the Lions.

Cook believes his young charges will thrive this time around, albeit in the unfamiliar surrounds of the UAE.

“That can be the way in subcontinent and UAE conditions. The game can turn very quickly. We’ve got a young and exciting side, we’re very clear in our mind how hard it’s going to be but what a challenge it is for us.

“[The UAE pitches are] pretty similar to the sub continent, the only thing is going back to that 2012 series, the number of lbws there were. That was the highest it’s ever been in any other series.

“Spinners bowling quick spin into that back of a length and it really skidding on. It wasn’t huge turn but that was a big difference then. The pitches didn’t quite deteriorate like some sub continent pitches do. They turned a little bit more without turning as much as they do in Mumbai.”

This time around Cook’s charges are supported by Sri Lanka legend Mahela Jayawardene whose insight into conditions will be a welcome addition.

Cook hopes Jayawerdene’s own skill playing spin will help negate the impact of the likes of Yasir Shah, who is Pakistan’s foremost spinner with Ajmal in the dark.

“[Jayawardene is] a huge boost,” said Cook.

“I don’t know how many runs he scored [but] it was an incredible achievement and the way he played spin in particular.

“To have his experience, knowledge, he knows Trevor and Paul (Farbrace) very well. He’s fitted in well. It’s down to our batters to pick his brains a little bit.”

Despite the obvious merits of spin bowling in the sub-continent and UAE, Cook added that his seam bowlers are also on board to play a significant part in proceedings.

“We can’t always focus on spin,” he added. “Our seamers took quite a few wickets here last time so you can get rewards with that.”