Andrew Strauss' men lost 3-0 in the Middle East against resurgent Pakistan in a series that, quite frankly, went from bad to worse.
In the first Test in Dubai, England's batsmen had no answer to world class offspinner Saeed Ajmal as he took seven wickets in the first innings and match figures of 10-97.
Ajmal's efforts meant England failed to reach 200 in either innings, and Pakistan were left with a target of just 15 runs for a victory by 10 wickets inside three days.
If that had been embarrassing enough, then the defeat in the second Test in Abu Dhabi simply defied logic.
Having gained a first innings lead of 70, and then bowled Pakistan out again for just 214, a target of 145 should have been easily achievable, albeit on an increasingly tricky pitch.
Indeed, Test Match Special commentator Geoffrey Boycott was so confident of England victory that he said he would bet all three of his houses on that outcome.
Looking back, it is a good job for Boycott that no one held him to his wager as the former captain would now be homeless following an extraordinary second innings slump.
Skipper Strauss made 32 and Matt Prior 18 but none of the other batsmen even made it into double figures as England were bowled out for a pathetic total of 72 to lose by 72 runs.
With the series now gone, all the Barmy Army could hope for was a consolation victory in the third and final Test of the series.
It was looking good back in Dubai when the impressive and finely-balanced bowling attack of James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar put the tourists on top by bowling out Pakistan for 99.
But, once again, the batsmen let England down, gaining an innings lead of just 42 before being hustled out second time around for 252 in pursuit of 324.
All in all, it was a thoroughly disappointing series particularly from a batting perspective, even if England improved to win both the One-Day internationals 4-0 and the Twenty20 matches 2-1.
And yet, despite the trio of crushing Test defeats, England retained their place at the top of the rankings after the first Test between New Zealand and South Africa ended in a draw.
The Proteas could have usurped England in the table if they had been able to complete a 3-0 away whitewash of the Black Caps but rain washed out the entire fifth day of the opener in Dunedin.
England's retention of the top spot, which they have held since beating India last August, will become significant on the cut-off date of 1 April when the ICC will award $175,000 to the leaders.
But, regardless of that prize, it is now vital that the batting order regains some of its form after their nightmare earlier this year.
Already, England have been warned that it will not be easy in Sri Lanka with former captain Alec Stewart describing an away trip there as the "toughest place in the world" because of the heat and humidity.
The tourists can take some heart, though, from two wins out of two in bountiful warm-ups in the capital, Colombo, before the real action begins on Monday in Galle.
The flatter pitches of the subcontinent are often seen as a batsman's paradise and so it was the case for Alastair Cook with the Essex batsman hitting an unbeaten 163 as England won by an innings.
Cook anchored a total of 303-8 in between another fantastic bowling performance in tough conditions which limited the Sri Lankan Board President's XI to scores of 169 and 119.
Strauss' side did face a tougher test in their second three-day match and indeed only won thanks to a sporting declaration from the Sri Lanka Cricket Development XI.
Nevertheless, tons for Strauss and Jonathan Trott in the first innings will have done wonders for their confidence while there were also second innings half-centuries for Kevin Pietersen, Ravi Bopara, Prior and Samit Patel.
Only Ian Bell has struggled to score so far on this tour as England made it back-to-back wins by successfully chasing down their target of 359 with four wickets left.
Warwickshire batsmen Bell, who enjoyed a superb run of form in 2011, has really struggled so far in 2012 but will retain the confidence of coach Andy Flower for now.
The unfortunate Bopara, though, could miss out after injuring himself while bowling in the first warm-up match.
Flower is conscious of the fact that the heat and humidity will make it tough going for the bowlers and so, ideally, he wants a member of the top six to be able to contribute with some proper spells.
Patel seems to fit the bill but England's main focus in this rather unsatisfactory series of just two matches will be on ensuring there is a dramatic improvement at Test level with the bat.
Indeed, while it would be hard going for the viewer, even a couple of classic high-scoring subcontinental draws would probably be regarded in a positive light.
After all, a series full of runs would be perfect for England ahead of a packed summer schedule against West Indies and South Africa, and mini One-Day series against a touring Australia side.
ENGLAND TOUR OF SRI LANKA
| Date | Venue | ||
| 15-17 Mar | Warm-up | ENGLAND 303-8 beat Sri Lanka Board XI 169 & 119 by an innings and 15 runs | Colombo (RPS) |
| 20-22 Mar | Warm-up | ENGLAND 272-4d & 360-6 beat Sri Lanka Development XI 431-6d & 199-4d four wickets | Colombo (SSC) |
| 26-29 Mar | First Test | SRI LANKA 318 & 214 bt ENGLAND 193 & 264 by 75 runs | Galle |
| 3-7 Apr | Second Test | ENGLAND 460 & 97-2 bt SRI LANKA 275 & 278 by 8 wkts | Colombo (PSS) |
ENGLAND SUMMER 2012 FIXTURES
| Date | Venue | ||
| 17-21 May | First Test | ENGLAND v WEST INDIES | Lord's |
| 25-29 May | Second Test | ENGLAND v WEST INDIES | Trent Bridge |
| 7-11 Jun | Third Test | ENGLAND v WEST INDIES | Edgbaston |
| Sat 16 Jun | First ODI | ENGLAND v WEST INDIES | The Rose Bowl |
| Tue 19 Jun | Second ODI | ENGLAND v WEST INDIES | The Oval |
| Fri 22 Jun | Third ODI | ENGLAND v WEST INDIES | Headingley |
| Sun 24 Jun | Fourth ODI | ENGLAND v WEST INDIES | Trent Bridge |
| Fri 29 Jun | First ODI | ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA | Lord's |
| Sun 1 Jul | Second ODI | ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA | The Oval |
| Wed 4 Jul | Third ODI | ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA | Edgbaston |
| Sat 7 Jul | Fourth ODI | ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA | Emirates Durham |
| Tue 10 Jul | Fifth ODI | ENGLAND v AUSTRALIA | Old Trafford |
| 19-23 Jul | First Test | ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA | The Oval |
| 2-6 Aug | Second Test | ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA | Headingley |
| 16-20 Aug | Third Test | ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA | Lord's |
| Fri 24 Aug | First ODI | ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA | Cardiff |
| Tue 28 Aug | Second ODI | ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA | The Rose Bowl |
| Fri 31 Aug | Third ODI | ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA | The Oval |
| Sun 2 Sep | Fourth ODI | ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA | Lord's |
| Wed 5 Sep | Fifth ODI | ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA | Trent Bridge |
| Sat 8 Sep | First Twenty20 | ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA | Emirates Durham |
| Mon 10 Sep | Second Twenty20 | ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA | Old Trafford |
| Wed 12 Sep | Third Twenty20 | ENGLAND v SOUTH AFRICA | Edgbaston |
Note: Additional ODI Fixture (12 Aug) - SCOTLAND v ENGLAND Edinburgh
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