There's a recurring theme in the English papers this morning, with just about everyone wondering what must be done about England's batting.

Yet with no-one knocking the door down with runs for the Lions side, the consensus appears to be that sticking with the seven batsmen who toured the UAE is the only way to go.

Starting in the Independent, Stephen Brenkley sums up the debate:

'One question above all seemed unlikely to be asked about the world's top Test team. But it was being put with understandable insistence last night: never mind the world, are this lot the best Test side in England?

'Following a 3-0 whitewash in the series against Pakistan, a result as unexpected as it was deserved after they lost the third Test by 71 runs yesterday, the selectors have about a fortnight to provide their version of an answer. It would be perverse in the extreme to retain the players, the batsmen that is, who have failed so spectacularly in the past three weeks for another Asian assignment next month.

'Yet if not them, then who else? Such has been the faith shown in the present top order, who had barely put a foot wrong for more than a year, that other candidates have never been required. Indeed, were it an election, their nomination papers would probably not have been submitted.

'Presumably, the selectors have been monitoring possible replacements, should there ever be vacancies caused by retirement or, perhaps, an unexpected holiday. The composition of the England Lions, effectively the "A" team, gives heavy hints about their thinking. But none of the possible likely lads will be that likely.'

Mike Selvey, writing in the Guardian, concurs with Brenkley:

'Obvious alternatives are simply not there but something has to give. Wholesale changes are not an option, nor necessary. England have to learn rather than panic. Bopara is not the answer and the fancied name of James Taylor has just endured a poor tour of Sri Lanka where young thunderbats such as Jos Buttler have thrived. Those who know will say that while the Lions are producing one-day cricketers they are not ready for the demands of Tests. One option might be Samit Patel, who in the ODI series in India recently played spin more competently than most. So it might come down to a judgment. Flower and Geoff Miller might just have to back a hunch and in that, this forthcoming ODI series might be instructive.'

In the same paper, Vic Marks provides a wonderful explanation of the mental torment that England's batsmen have been going through over the past few weeks:

'To be a failing batsman is the cruellest part of the game. Failure nags at the psyche. "If I keep failing as a batsman, do I fail as a man?" It is not a helpful question but often it is an inevitable one, sitting in the dressing room, head in hands, after another swift dismissal.

'The torment can take different forms. Sometimes it involves the fear of physical damage. Against the West Indies in the 70s and 80s a dearth of runs was combined with the prospect of bruises and broken bones. Against Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson on spicy pitches in 1974-5 in Australia there was not even the reassurance of a helmet.

'In the sub-continent the body usually remains intact, but the mind can become as tangled as a basket of snakes. Claustrophobia sets in as the spinners beguile and bamboozle.

'Here, Ajmal and Rehman have been delivering their own form of slow torture. They have been prepared to bide their time, to stay patient during the rare barren spells, to cut off the supply of runs with a ruthless tourniquet.

'Batsmen, even the best ones, may be afraid of the odd unplayable delivery, but they fear even more not being able to work out how they are going to get their runs. Especially in an age when runs frequently gush at four per over they cannot bear the prospect of suffocation at the crease. On these surfaces - against highly skilled practitioners - the England batsmen could not fathom where they could score. That breeds a certain panic.'

In the Daily Mail, Nasser Hussain backs England's current batsmen, and raises a legitimate concern about Andrew Strauss:

'I am a big believer in only making changes for the better. We are seeing young batsmen like Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler emerge in one-day cricket but for Tests I would take the same seven batsmen to Sri Lanka.

'Look at how Stuart Broad has repaid England's faith after they stuck with him during a bad period last year. Look at what Alastair Cook did after England stuck with him in 2010. Show faith in people you believe in and there is every chance they will repay that faith.

'Eoin Morgan hasn't done it consistently yet in Test cricket, as Broad and Cook had done when they had their bad patches, but I don't think England will draw a line under him after a three-Test series because they like his temperament so much.

'Andrew Strauss has enough credit in the bank to be given an extended chance to regain his best batting form because he has been an outstanding leader who has again marshalled his bowling attack superbly during this series.

'Yet Strauss needs a big score soon for his peace of mind and my only concern, with him missing one-day cricket, is his extended absences.

'Strauss is a touch player and I feel they need to be playing more often than power ones. We won't see the captain again until the warm-up games in Sri Lanka and that's a worry.'

Amongst all the soul-searching there isn't a great deal of praise for Pakistan (perhaps because there was plenty of it during the first two Tests), but in the Telegraph, Derek Pringle gives credit to Misbah and his men before turning his attention to England's batsmen:

'As bad as England have been here, Pakistan have been excellent. Under Misbah-ul-Haq and coach Mohsin Khan they have been transformed, a remarkable feat considering that just over a year ago the team were discredited and in disarray after three of their players were caught spot-fixing during the Lord's Test.

'To slightly misquote Margaret Thatcher, Misbah and Mohsin have brought harmony from discord and renewed pride from disgrace, the pair's legend assured after securing Pakistan's first clean sweep over England. This series has certainly been one of growing disbelief for those who have watched England's progress over the past 18 months, as they ascended the summit of the Test match rankings. Only confirmed pessimists would have foreseen this kind of wreckage against a team of cricketing nomads with just a few wins against disenchanted opposition to their names.

'In hindsight, especially after England's poor one-day showing in India and the sketchy form of their middle order in the warm-up games here, the warning signs were there, though England failed to pay heed until it was too late.'