Five England Players Who Need to Perform During the Test Series Against Pakistan

England kick off a busy winter with a three-Test series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.

The opening match gets underway on Tuesday at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, with the teams playing further Tests in Dubai and Sharjah.

England will not only have to deal with opponents who sit just one place behind them in the ICC Test rankings, but also cope with playing in unfamiliar conditions.

They suffered a 3-0 series sweep the last time they played against Pakistan. So, can they do better this time?

Bleacher Report has picked out five players who need to impress for the tourists, not just for England's hopes of victory, but also for the sake of their own Test careers.

Moeen Ali contributed to England's success against Australia during the home summer.

Batting down at eight in the order, the left-hander made 293 runs at 36.82. As for his off-spin bowling, he claimed 12 wickets while backing up the quartet of seamers.

Now, though, Moeen needs to move up from being a member of the supporting cast to taking over a leading role.

The all-rounder will be England's most experienced slow bowler no matter who is picked to play alongside him, while it also seems likely he will be pushed up the batting order.

Per ESPN Cricinfo, head coach Trevor Bayliss admitted after the final warm-up fixture against Pakistan A that Moeen had "probably got his nose in front" of Alex Hales to open alongside captain Alastair Cook.

Joe Root has backed his team-mate to come good in his new role, telling BBC Sport: "I think he's proven in Test cricket now that he's a valuable member of our batting side. I'm sure he'll rise to the challenge."

Adil Rashid was a spectator like the rest of us during the Ashes, despite being named in England's squad for all five Tests.

Now, however, the leg-spinner looks certain to finally be handed his first Test cap during the series against Pakistan.

He has had to bide his time for an opportunity, but now he needs to grasp it with both hands.

England have a mixed record with leggies, as Stephen Brenkley detailed in the Independent: "Only one leg-spinner, Doug Wright, has taken more than 100 Test wickets for England. The country’s traditional way of turning the ball away from the right-hand batsman has been with left-arm spin, of which 12 practitioners have taken more than 100 Test wickets."

Rashid has done well for England in one-day action of late. However, Test cricket is different.

Wickets can be tougher to come by, as batsmen no longer need to have such an aggressive mindset without the added pressure of worrying about the scoreboard.

The Yorkshireman needs to show he belongs in the longest format, or else could he find himself pigeonholed as a limited-overs specialist.

It might seem odd to include Ian Bell in this list, seeing as he has scored 22 Test hundreds for England.

However, the Warwickshire right-hander—who averages 43 in his Test career—has managed just three half-centuries in his last 16 innings.

He was pushed up to bat at three in the order midway through the Ashes, taking over the role after Gary Ballance was jettisoned.

The promotion saw immediate success, as he hit scores of 53 and 65 not out in the Edgbaston Test, but then he managed only 24 more runs in his next three knocks.

Bell has now retired from limited-overs cricket at the highest level, but he has no plans to call it a day in Test action just yet.

He told Sky Sports News HQ: "I want to play as long as I possibly can. I love playing for England, it's an absolute honour to do that every day."

But, at 33, the batsman cannot be retained simply on past glories. Runs are required, starting with the series against Pakistan.

Bell is one of the few survivors from the last tour to the United Arab Emirates—he made 51 runs in the three-match series, finishing with an average of 8.50.

Samit Patel may not actually play a part in the Test series against Pakistan.

However, the Nottinghamshire all-rounder wasn't meant to be in the squad for the tour at all.

Zafar Ansari was initially selected in the 16-man party, but a dislocated thumb ruled out the Surrey player. His loss can be Patel's gain, as he now has the chance to impress England's new management team.

He has not played international cricket since February 2013, while the last of his five Test appearances came on the tour to Sri Lanka in 2012.

A batsman who bowls useful left-arm spin, the 30-year-old fell foul of the previous regime due to concerns over his fitness.

He had feared his international career was over before the unexpected recall, telling BBC Radio Nottingham: "When I didn't get picked against Sri Lanka, I wondered whether this day would ever come again. I would like to get more of a role with the bat but I will bat anywhere."

Patel may not feature in the Test series. Still, he can still press his claims for an opportunity in the shorter formats with the way he goes about his work on the trip.

Jos Buttler started his Test career with successive half-centuries against India in 2014.

However, the wicketkeeper-batsman found runs hard to come by during the Ashes. He finished the series averaging 15.25 with a top score of 42.

He registered two low scores at the start of the one-day series that followed, with England's team management then deciding to rest him for the remainder of the summer schedule.

Yet the brake doesn't seem to have rejuvenated the 25-year-old, judging by his scores at the start of the tour of the United Arab Emirates.

Buttler has made one, eight and 32 not out in the two warm-up matches against Pakistan A. That final score, though, only came after England sent him back in for a second knock in the same innings.

Still, assistant coach Paul Farbrace has backed the player, per Chris Stocks of the Guardian. "Ideally, we’d have loved Jos to have got runs. I think the break from cricket has done him the world of good, he’s refreshed and raring to go. I think he’s very close to a score. We know how talented he is."

Buttler is undoubtedly talented, but runs are required for him to keep his place.