It is hard to imagine that the substantial partnership of Bob Woolmer and Inzamam-ul Haq will see another Test match. One or both will certainly be gone before Pakistan rejoin the battle later this year.

Now is the time for a verdict, and it is this: Pakistan have improved steadily under their leadership, from a position of near free-fall Pakistan are battling for second place. The home citadel--overrun too frequently in the past--has been strengthened once more. Indeed, the subcontinent has become a field of success for Pakistan. Great work.

But the litmus test of any Pakistan side is how it fares in Australia, England, and South Africa. In all three arenas Pakistan have failed--althought the failure in South Africa was a narrow one. The biggest cause for concern is the one that Imran Khan loves to trot out and that is the failure of openers.

This is a harsh judgement--and I have great fondness for both of them and many of the failings are not theirs but the system--yet in the eyes of history the bare unmitigated results will stand out and shout their verdict: great job, could have done better.

Having said that, a World Cup win will mean this record is forgotten.

	Abdul Razzaq is an ideal one-day player even if his place in the Test team is worth challenging © AFP

With injuries and poor form asking fundamental questions about Pakistan's one-day squad for South Africa, the selectors have answered with a vote for thrills--and probably quite a few spills and missed heartbeats.

The recall of Abdul Razzaq was expected. When fit, Razzaq is an ideal one-day player even if his place in the Test team is worth challenging. Shabbir Ahmed's return was inevitable too given Pakistan's injured fast bowlers, but it's hard to see how he can have been unfit last week yet fit now.

Razzaq, of course, is a lower middle-order whirlwind. In combination with Shahid Afridi and Imran Nazir--who have both made surprising returns--Pakistan's one-day team has just adopted the shock and awe strategy.

Afridi did well in his season of domestic cricket in South Africa although he looks to have opted out of domestic cricket in his own country, something we were told he would have to succeed in to win selection. Nazir, by contrast, has performed due diligence by rebuilding his reputation at home and it is a surprise that the selectors have resisted recalling him until now.

Whatever the machinations, I'm all for this daring approach. Now is the time to get these big-hitting players in form before the World Cup. They add an explosive capability to the more trenchant qualities of Pakistan's classy middle-order. There is a risk though that these bombers will inflict more damage on their own men than the opposition.

Call me reckless but I'd have it no other way. The Pakistani cricket team has been most successful when it has attacked, and with Afridi, Razzaq, and Nazir in your batting line-up, attack is turned into all-out assault. Hold onto your sun-hats.

	The ongoing saga of injuries to Pakistan's players is diabolocial © AFP

"No doctor is better than three," according to a German proverb. The PCB has one at its head, another running its media and communications, and several more on its preposterous medical board of inquiry, which by my calculation is some way beyond three and a firm indication that the health of Pakistan's cricketers must be in a bad way--and it is.

My hypothesis is that Pakistan has the biggest injury problem in international cricket, and I'm sure one of the clever souls who visit this blog will be able to produce the evidence. That's before we begin a debate on the players' education about performance-enhancing drugs and the shambolic monitoring procedure of last year (let's not restart that particular debate here, you can comment on it elsewhere).

The ongoing saga of injuries to Pakistan's players is diabolocial. It seems few people know who is fit and who isn't. Fewer people know why anybody might be unfit. And nobody seems to know how to make anybody who is unfit fit again.

Sports science is a growing medical specialty. More research is being done. More evidence is available. Our shrinking and interconnected world allows greater sharing of knowledge and experts. Yet in Pakistan we have a medical board of inquiry that seems unable to prevent, manage, or cure the ailments of any of its prize patients.

The simple question I ask is would a business tolerate such a dismal success rate? Another question I ask is would any of you trust your treatment and your rehabilitation to this bunch of "experts." Inevitably, the PCB will say that it isn't responsible for the irresponsible behaviour of its player patients. The PCB will say that it is doing everything it can, and the medical board of inquiry is testament to that, as is its willingness to send players abroad for diagnosis and treatment. The PCB will say that this situation is a consequence of the modern game.

But I would say that those are excuses. The failure of the PCB's medical management is too persistent and too inexcusable for it to be tolerated any longer. Like any responsible employer, the PCB should seek a second opinion on its processes and its personnel. The present system is clearly not working.

By offering my opinion I am unfortunately adding to the peculiar preponderance of doctors associated with Pakistan cricket. But, then again, if I don't say this who will?

	Kamran Akmal had been under pressure for his performances, but today's effort should silence the critics for now © Getty Images

Far be it for me to criticise somebody called Kamran, but Akmal's performances had become something of an embarrassment, a vicious circle of failure. There were even calls for him to be dumped for the final Test. But such a panic reaction should now be impossible.

Akmal is a smart cricketer, with a natural feel for his glovework and his batsmanship. Bob Woolmer decribes him as 20% of the team. When that vital 20% fails, the team suffers. Distinguished ex-cricketers have rated him highly, and after England's tour of Pakistan last year he was thought to be one of the best in the world.

Since then Akmal has had a tough time, dismissed too easily when batting and finding it hard to dismiss anybody when he is keeping. The talent is undoubted, the mind has been crushed by failure. In these circumstances it is a credit to Pakistan's management that they have stuck with somebody who has obvious ability and, when body and mind are in harmony, is capable of mastering the toughest conditions.

Introducing Zulqarnain Haider for the final Test would have been folly. The next mouth-watering encounter is too pivotal for a rushed debut. What this series has shown so far is that the battle for number two in international cricket is a tough one, an arena for experience not exuberance. Now that Akmal has rediscovered his magic touch with the bat, better wicketkeeping should follow--and he has to do both, he is not good enough to be played as a batsman.

Welcome back Kamran Akmal, a young man crucial to the balance of this Pakistan side, and a condemned man who today he earned a pardon for any number of fumbled catches and sloppy stumpings.

	Inzamam needs a century against South Africa to complete a full set...and only just missed out at Port Elizabeth © AFP

From the moment he began to the moment Mohammad Asif played a bizarre defensive stroke to end Pakistan's innings, Inzy was in total control. That mastery did not only apply to his strokeplay but it also applied to the way he protected Asif from the strike. If Pakistan win this Test, this innings will be remembered as one of Inzamam's greatest.

One of the joys of watching cricket is a final stand from a major batsman as the tail wags around him. It is great entertainment for the team's supporters and neutrals, not so much fun for the bowling side of course.

Another joy of watching cricket is a contest on a pitch with pace and bounce. The groundsman here has produced a fabulous wicket, shame that his colleagues around the world have forgotten how to produce them. Thanks to that failure, most modern batsmen aren't as comfortable on such surfaces as they should be. Inzamam, at least, has a long enough memory to remember the pleasure of such a surface. And today he passed on that pleasure to millions of spectators around the world.

	Danish Kaneria's failure to make things happen in helpful conditions will be a great worry to the selectors © AFP

His first innings performance on a helpful wicket hinted that he might be a genuine threat if Pakistan could muster a sufficient lead. Well, Pakistan's lead might not have been great but it was possibly sufficient. Kaneria might not have had much back up but he had Mohammad Asif. That Kaneria failed to take a single wicket in these circumstances is bewildering, an enigma. Pakistan might still not have won but Kaneria, you imagined, might make it one hell of a task. He didn't. His failure in helpful conditions leaves Pakistan's selectors with a hellish dilemma: Pakistan need Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul back but can they be risked? All this might spell good news for Mohammad Sami?

Whatever happens with the pace attack it will be a surprise if Kaneria is not twirling away at the other end. But leg spinners are meant to be match winners not stock bowlers--and Kaneria has some matches to win. He might work on his flipper too. Without that he can forget following in Warne's footsteps.

	No winners here © Getty Images

The fans who abused Paul Harris and struck Makhaya Ntini are a disgrace to Pakistani supporters everywhere. This sorry incident has no winners.

But it does expose a deeper problem with South African cricket. Smith's team fully deserved their victory, Pakistan were outplayed, but the manner of the victory left something to be desired. The snarling--and persistent--abuse that South Africa's players hurled at Pakistan's players went some way beyond sledging. It is amazing that the umpires tolerated it.

The behaviour of South Africa's players created a vile atmosphere in this first Test match, and whether or not it was for ears or eyes only it was evident for the world to see. These antics do not excuse the behaviour of Pakistan's fans but it surely contributed to their agitation.

All credit to Cricket South Africa for further investigating Herschelle Gibbs but what they really should be doing is considering the public conduct of their team. It is conduct that does little for the image of the Rainbow Nation.

	Pakistan: not-so happy hookers © Getty Images

Pakistan's attempt at measured aggression was a sensible approach in the first innings but half the team perishing to hook or pull shots was a display of misplaced ambition. Australian batsmen showed admirably how it is wise to eschew this exhilarating stroke in favour of longevity, even on home bouncy wickets that they are familiar with.

Pakistan may have done enough in the first innings to dominate from here on--and Mohammad Asif helped spare the blushes of his batting colleagues--but this obsessive compulsion with the hook shot cost Pakistan a hundred runs or more.

Such sins have often cost players their international careers and the younger batsmen need to rein in their impulses. At least, for them, you might put it down to experience. But from Younis Khan and Inzamam it was almost criminal. No wonder South Africa laughed every time they fell for it hook, line and stinker.

	With Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Malik absent, Bob Woolmer will have to rely on a fairly young middle order to pull off a victory against South Africa © Getty Images

Pakistani batsmen have historically struggled in South Africa and this series promises to be a fascinating test of their consistency. Memories of outings at Old Trafford and Mohali will fill Pakistan fans with dread. The pressure will now be on Inzamam to carry the batting and prove his stature with a first successful series in South Africa. A career devoid of achievement in Australia or South Africa will be a career that will not be properly celebrated.

Yousuf's absence--and that of Shoaib Malik--will, however, be an unexpected opportunity for Pakistan's next generation of batsmen, Faisal Iqbal and Yasir Hameed--it is hard to see Asim Kamal nudging his way in front of them. Pakistan's top six suddenly looks light on experience but this is exactly the kind of step that players need to take on the path to a bigger career. As much as anything, it will be a test of character for the younger batsmen, particularly the two openers.

The bowling cover is less bothersome. Gul will be missed but an attack of Mohammad Asif, Rana Naved-ul Hasan, and Shahid Nazir looks the most likely combination, with a toss up between Danish Kaneria and Mohammad Sami for the final spot depending on the pitch. Despite Shoaib's summons, following his destruction of mighty Abbotabad, I'd be surprised if he were risked in the first Test, possibly at all.

Pakistan might have begun the series as favourites but the loss of key players means that South Africa now have the upper hand. This series, perhaps more than the World Cup, will be a measure of Bob Woolmer's progress with Team Pakistan.

	Qadir had to bowl at the world's strongest batting team (West Indies), with great success too. Warne never had to © The Cricketer International

Call me a heretic, Shane Warne was a true great but Abdul Qadir was better. I say this for several reasons.

1. Warne was barely able to bowl a googly, Qadir had several.

2. Umpires have become much more sympathetic towards legspinners over the last decade or so. Qadir had some of the plumbest decisions turned down for no better reason than the ball "might" spin. That rarely happens now and it makes the batsman's approach less sure and stay more uncomfortable.

3. Qadir had to battle the madness of Pakistan's cricket system and if Imran Khan had not supported him he might have been lost. Warne had the smartest cricket board behind him.

4. Warne played for the premier team of his age. Qadir began when Pakistan were nowhere and ended with Pakistan battling for the top spot.

5. Qadir had to bowl at the world's strongest batting team (West Indies), with great success too. Warne never had to.

6. Warne usually bowled with the luxury of a big score behind his team. Qadir was more often bowling under the pressure of a low score.

7. Warne had always been part of a powerful bowling attack. For most of Qadir's career it was him and Imran and much cannon fodder.

8. Global cricket coverage made today's stars more prominent than even the stars of the 80s. Many of Qadir's dazzling performances were never seen in England and Australia, the countries that dominate cricket writing and coverage.

9. Scyld Berry, the incoming editor of Wisden Almanack: "It is impossible to believe that wrist-spin has ever been bowled better than Qadir did in his home city of Lahore in 1987-88, when he took 9 for 56 against England."

10. More from Scyld: "Graham Gooch, who faced him that day, said Qadir was even finer than Shane Warne, to whom he passed on the candle." Gooch faced both bowlers in their prime.

Thank you Shane but let's not forget Abdul the Googly.

	The test of leadership is whether or not you will seek counsel from people you may not choose as your friends but who have something to contribute to the mission.Inzamam has sadly failed this test © Getty Images

The lesson that Ashraf has learned is that people care more about cricketers than they do about officials. And secondly, people care more about results than they do about individual cricketers. Pakistan's abysmal failure in the Champions Trophy punctured Ashraf's machismo but the worry is that the pendulum has swung too far back in Inzamam's favour for the good of Pakistan cricket.

Inzamam's hold over the team is a double-edged sword. If he uses his influence in a positive way Pakistan may well be capable of achieving great success this year. However, if his mood crushes the people around him, which it began to do during last summer's tour of England, Pakistan cannot succeed.

Imran Khan once had a similar hold over his team but he was wise enough to know that he had to harness the talents of people that he may not have liked or necessarily agreed with. The outcome was more important than pride--although he had plenty of that too. The test of leadership is whether or not you will include or seek counsel from people you may not choose as your friends but who have something to contribute to the mission. This is a test that Inzamam has not passed, and for the sake of Pakistan cricket he needs to. There is a huge risk in allowing one man to monopolise strategy, particularly when he has able support around him. Indeed, Inzamam is no Imran. He has never struck me as having the clarity of vision or ideas to do it alone.

Inzamam has succeeded in many ways in his career, and he is a contender for the title of Pakistan's greatest ever batsman. He has single-handedly won international matches and almost single-handedly won a World Cup. He has brought great stability to Pakistan cricket under his leadership. But his biggest failing is that he has become over-bearing and fallen too easily into a negative mindset. This is evident in the kinds of pitches that Pakistan have prepared under his leadership, the suggestions to Mohammad Sami to drop his speed, his on-field decisions, and now the selection of the current touring party. Pakistan had no need for so many batsmen, particularly those in the middle order, for this short tour of South Africa. That extra place should have gone to a bowler.

Yet that is Inzamam's way. It is the mindset that I believe inhibits Pakistan cricket. Yes, stability is essential and I have argued for it myself, but leadership is about allowing the talents of your charges to flourish and managing--not excluding--difficult personalities. It is also about seeking wise counsel and including your management team in deciding which is the best way forward. Inzamam, great player that he is, needs to harness the knowledge of his fellows and free the spirit of his players--and he needs to begin now.