Can Azhar Mahmood cover for the loss of Abdul Razzaq? © AFP

Afridi and Razzaq have the added element of being super-explosive hitters, and my view is that Razzaq can be a vital ingredient in the last ten overs, when Pakistan often aim to score over 100 runs. Pakistan will miss him. Could he have been sent to the Caribbean and withdrawn in a couple of weeks if he had not improved?

In any case, Razzaq's loss is Azhar's gain. The Surrey all-rounder has been mistreated by the PCB, ever since, in fact, he gave me a commendably frank interview for Cricinfo. Azhar's bowling is a stronger suit than Razzaq's. He can also be an explosive hitter, but Razzaq is extra-special in that regard.

But the question is whether or not Malik and Hafeez can step up and provide the Pakistan batting with some solidity? In addition, Hafeez's one-day bowling form is impressive although Inzamam has tended to underuse him.

More than the rest, though, Afridi can be a talisman. His bowling form is good enough for him to be selected on that alone--and a wise coach and a smart captain will use that to take the pressure off him. But when his batting comes off, he wins matches. Now that may not happen enough for many people's liking but Afridi has hit rich veins of form in the past. Can he do it in a World Cup? If he hits straight and true, like he did memorably in Chennai, he could emerge as a true champion rather than a breaker of hearts. On this one, you all know, I'm with Boom Boom. Let's hope he doesn't boom out.

	Oh ... for another Saeed Anwar © Getty Images

It must be quite frustrating for Imran Khan, for a decade almost everything he said was implemented. He was the first and last word in Pakistan cricket, with a few thousand thrown in between by Javed Miandad. The rule of Khan culminated in Pakistan winning the World Cup, enough said. Now Imran struggles to get his way--and let's be clear that the PCB's strategy of pep talks by great players is more of an intrusion than a benefit at this late stage.

But one area that Imran has complained so much about that perhaps everyone has stopped hearing him is the dilemma of openers. Inzamam believes he has the best pair available. Bob Woolmer, I suspect, is less sure but will do his best with the materials given him. Imran is more definite: the choice should have been Salman Butt and Yasir Hameed.

Imran may well have a point but it was hard to prove since the PCB and Inzamam have failed to try that combination in the run up to the World Cup. Particularly baffling was the decision not to give Yasir Hameed a run in South Africa.

Nonetheless, it's true enough that none of the openers have succeeded. This opening problem is not new for Pakistan and Imran knows it well. Middle-order batsmen have been made into openers going right back to the 1975 and 1979 World Cups when Majid Khan opened the innings but did well against the mighty West Indian bowling attack. By 1983, Mohsin and Mudassar had formed a stable opening partnership but one that failed to deliver its promise. In all three World Cups, Pakistan had been knocked out by West Indies.

The mainstay in the next two tournaments was Ramiz Raja, who despite a decent World Cup record had the habit of firing only sporadically. Indeed his pairing with Aamer Sohail in 1992 was often a hair-raising enterprise. Sohail had matured to some degree by the time he partnered Saeed Anwar in 1996--although that isn't saying much. But on Asian wickets, the combination of Aamer and Saeed was dynamite and perhaps the best that Pakistan has ever enjoyed at a World Cup.

When the 1999 tournament came around, Saeed had established himself as a World class opener, the best Pakistan has had since Hanif Mohammad. This meant that his unknown partner Wajahatullah Wasti had an easier ride than most Pakistani openers have ever had. I'll never forget the sight of Imran Khan teaching Wasti how to play a forward defensive on the team balcony after he'd got out in one of Pakistan's group matches. It was as if he was teaching a six-year old.

Come 2003, Pakistan were a confused outfit. Saeed was bowing out but underutilised prior to the tournament, and Shahid Afrid was in one minute and out the next. Pakistan's chop-and-change strategy was in full swing. Saeed Anwar, Shahid Afridi, Taufeeq Umar, and Saleem Elahi were all given a go.

Four years later, who could have predicted that Pakistan would still be confused about their first choice openers but they clearly are. Yet, Imran Nazir has a rare talent if he can be persuaded to harness it sensibly. Mohammad Hafeez is a hitter who can graft--or is he a grafter who can hit? In Kamran Akmal and Shahid Afridi Pakistan have further explosive capabilities. Desperation, though, can provide a creative solution, and the suggestion that Younis Khan might open is in the grand tradition of Pakistani middle-order batsmen turned openers and it is one that might succeed.

Most importantly, Pakistan need to decide their strategy and stick to it. The openers will have five games, including warm ups, to find a certain chemistry. I reckon Hafeez and Nazir is the pairing to go with in this squad. A World Cup is a stage to make a name for yourself and grow as a cricketer, and both of them should be hungry. They will be helped by West Indian wickets being unlike South African, Australian, or English. Might Pakistan turn a weakness into a strength? If they can, Pakistan's challenge will become a genuine one.

	Can we stop taking the piss please? © Getty Images

Is it so hard to get a urine sample from Shoaib Akhtar? And when he finally deigns to offer up some bodily fluids what will the test prove? The same applies, of course, to Mohammad Asif.

Nandrolone is broken down reasonably quickly in the body but its metabolites can hang around for months. It is possible that metabolites might still be present in Shoaib's and Asif's urine samples. Provided those levels have dropped to near the threshold set by WADA--which is where you guess they might be if they had decreased in line with the decay curve of nandrolone metabolites--the conclusion is that Shoaib and Asif have been clean since their last test. Under those circumstances talk of life bans seems ridiculous.

On the other hand, two scenarios would cause them a problem. Firstly, if it turns out that the levels are higher than the last test. Secondly, if the result is lower but still high enough to be out of line with the decay curve of nandrolone metabolites. Under either of these scenarios their selection cannot be justified.

The decay curve, unfortunately, varies between individuals, which means that there might be a grey area.

The fact that neither of them has yet taken the test seems incredible, and conspiracy theories were fuelled by Shoaib's outrageous behaviour last week. The obvious concern is that Shoaib knows that the gig is up and is preparing his exit strategy.

But, like Inzamam, he is unlikely to play another World Cup. They have both tasted the bitter failure of 1999. This is no time for exits. It is a time for total commitment. Pakistan's focus must now be on pulling together as a team, putting past stupidity behind them, and ending this period of dispiriting, despicable, and relentless turmoil.

The first step, Mr Akhtar, is to stop taking the piss and start giving it.

	The cricket has finished but the controversies haven't for Pakistan © Getty Images

1 I know Bob. I find it difficult to believe that he is racist, even if he is would he call somebody a "Blackie"? The only people I've ever heard use that word I'm afraid are people from South Asia. It reminds of the time I was done for a driving offence and the policemen read out a statement that he said he had taken from me which used language I knew I would never use.

2 I know the sports editor of Dawn. I find it difficult to believe that he would publish a piece without something to back it up. The quality of Dawn's sports pages has improved no end over the last eight months or so.

3 I wonder then about Dawn's sources and assume that there can't be many people who were privy to that conversation and could state with conviction - genuine or not - that a racist remark was made. If the source turns out to be unreliable or untrustworthy then Dawn better apologise, and quickly.

4 To accuse a national coach of making a racist remark to one of his players is a most serious allegation. It is the kind of allegation that means at least one head will roll, the person who made the remark or the source of the claim, assuming that it has to be somebody inside the Pakistan camp.

5 It's also time that another head rolled. The shambles in Pakistan cricket has become a national disgrace. Who will take responsibility? Dr Ashraf or Mr Altaf? Perhaps one or both of them? It's time gentlemen. But guess what? I bet neither of them do.

Well done to South Africa. They have outbatted, outbowled, outfielded, and out-committed Pakistan. Having said that, the way Pakistan have played most of this series it wouldn't have taken much to do so. The fact that South Africa have been exceptional has added to Pakistan's embarrassment. Indeed, the last two games have been a complete shambles.

Pakistan give the impression of a team without spirit, strategy, or spine. They are going backwards in all departments. This is as dejected as I've ever felt before a World Cup campaign and I've been lucky enough to witness all of them. Pakistan's progress from the last World Cup looks at the moment to be precisely zero. In a month's time, in different conditions, it might be a different story. That would be typical of Pakistan and they certainly have the players to turn it around. But when the failures are so abject and so persistent I worry about the leadership.

Bob and Inzy need to invigorate their troops, inspire them to greater heights, make them fight for every moment of their existence. The current Pakistan team looks lethargic, uninspired, and unwilling to fight. Worst of all the whole show looks unprofessional. If day in day out I was letting down 160 million people at home and many millions more abroad, I'd be embarrassed. Indeed, my shame might drive me to fight for those millions of people rooting for me.

Where is the shame? We need to know it's there, because I tell you boys there's plenty of embarrassment out there. Pakistan were once famous for being cornered tigers but they are now frightened rabbits. Where is the shame boys? Where is the pride? You might carry it in your hearts but you also need to wear it on your sleeves.

Pakistan fans are often criticised for being fickle, but the reality is--and it's obvious reading comments on this blog--that success in cricket really matters to Pakistanis everywhere. We need to know and see that it also matters to the players, captain, and coach. When this World Cup becomes history it will be the performances of the players and the achievements of the captain and coach that will be remembered. The failings--and they are genuine failings--of the administrators will be barely considered.

The bottom line is that the squad and management must succeed despite the crazy way the country's cricket is run. They might not owe it to their cricket board but they certainly owe it to their many millions of die-hard supporters. Let's hope we see a different Pakistan and different leadership in a month's time.

Pakistan's equipment went missing recently but nobody told us that they'd lost their heart as well.

	'Defending against Kaneria in Test cricket has been possible but attacking him in the one-day game might be a different matter altogether' © Getty Images

One of the reasons Pakistan won in 1992 and Australia won in 1999 was that a legspinner was a threat in the middle of the innings. It wasn't a case of the opposition milking the bowling, instead they had to bat for their lives. Some commentators--including many of you on this blog--have called for Kaneria to be selected. Given the uncertainty with Pakistan's other wicket-taking bowlers, I'd say that the clamour for Kaneria is a just one. This might spell bad news for Abdur Rehman or Azhar Mahmood, but I'd make one essential change to my squad and Kaneria would make the cut. Let's hope he's there. Defending against Kaneria in Test cricket has been possible but attacking him in the one-day game might be a different matter altogether.

Kaneria has been a conundrum. He should have been tried earlier. Some of you will say that this is a mark of my insanity or evidence of my desperation but Kaneria could be the matchwinner that Pakistan's bowlers can rally around. Will Bari, Bob, and Inzy do it?

	Should Kamran Akmal stay for the World Cup? © AFP

If Pakistan's selectors were seeking some kind of signal as to what to do they didn't get it. Instead, what is clear is that with a month to go before the World Cup, Pakistan have problems. And the main one is this: while Pakistan teams are known for their unpredictability, the performance of this group of players fluctuates so wildly that it is hard to imagine how they could put together a consistent enough run to lift the trophy. Wind back to 1992 or 1999 and Pakistan teams might have come a cropper here and there leading up to the World Cup but they were able to put together sequences of victories that made them genuine challengers.

One reason for this current pattern though is the dramatic variation in personnel through injury. Any success that Woolmer and Inzy have had was forged through consistency of selection but this South African tour has been a joke with players shuttling between South Africa and Pakistan as if it were a commuter trip.

What to do? Well some players pick themselves. The middle order of Inzy, Yousuf, and Younis is set in stone. Kamran Akmal has to be persevered with, it's too late to change now--and the strategy of him opening could be a spectacular triumph in the Caribbean. Mohammad Asif, Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul are the first line of pace attack. Of the all rounders Shoaib Malik, Abdul Razzaq, and Shahid Afridi are the late-order attackers that Pakistan's strategy hinges on.

That leaves five places to discuss amid the consideration that West Indian pitches will smell like the sweet grass of home to Pakistan's players. On that basis, I'd back Imran Nazir and Mohammad Hafeez as two of three possible openers (along with Kamran Akmal). The pace attack will need back up, which means Sami, Rana, and Azhar fighting for two places. I'd go for Sami's extra pace and Azhar's all round ability. That leaves one place for a spinner and despite today's outing, Abdur Rehman showed enough in the home series against West Indies to win the spot.

There might be a case for others like Salman Butt, Yasir Hameed, Yasir Arafat, and Danish Kaneria but if they are real contenders they should have been out here getting ready.

If this squad of players is fit and Pakistan can gel, they have a chance. Nobody, though, expected this level of unpredictability so close to the World Cup. But when it comes to Pakistan cricket, the next tournament can be a very different story. It needs to be.

(And yes, squads and XIs are allowed on this thread).

	Shahid Afridi should still have a major role to play at the World Cup © AFP

Afridi's behaviour was dangerous and irresponsible and he deserves to pay the price. But at the same time he also deserves to play in Pakistan's World Cup campaign, which luckily begins with two official World Cup warm-up matches. This means that Afridi could well be available for the opening encounter of this year's World Cup, the match against West Indies, if the warm-up matches count. At worst, Afridi will miss only one crucial World Cup match, the other being against Ireland.

Afridi, like any good spinner, is maturing with age and the spin option he offers means that he has more than one reason to be in the team. Pakistan should back him for the World Cup as a bowling allrounder with the ability to turn a match on its head with bat and sometimes ball. The wickets in West Indies should suit him.

The World Cup is rapidly opening up with Australia's blip in form. Pakistan have a real chance if all their main players are fit and available. Afridi is a vital element of Pakistan's attack force, and with the current strategy of batting right down to number nine or ten Afridi has greater licence to free his mind and swing.

If the PCB and Afridi have any sense they will accept the punishment, forget about an appeal, and get Mr Boom Boom ready for the Caribbean.

	Imran Nazir: Pakistan's saviour AFP

There was a moment when Pakistan's one-day series could have got even worse, and it happened early on. Kamran Akmal had been trapped LBW, shouldering arms, and the pressure was on Imran Nazir on his overdue return to international cricket.

The pitch was bouncy and South Africa were keen to test his mettle. Imran responded by pulling every short ball that came his way. With venom and a strong bottom-hand, he plays an exciting pull shot. A Pakistani batsman was prepared to go toe to toe with South Africa's fast bowlers, and crucially he did it with confidence and skill. In fact little has changed about Imran's approach except that he looks more in control.

Shahid Afridi made a dramatic return of his own and should have won the man-of-the-match award, but it was Imran who pulled the intitiative back for Pakistan and set them on their way to a match-winning total. Imran Nazir has always been capable of fireworks, of course, but over the next few days we will discover whether or not he has learnt consistency to go with his destructive talent.

Darrell Hair is at it again. Creating a fuss, drawing attention to himself, and generally displaying the indignation of the most righteous man in the world of cricket. But self-righteous is the word that best describes Mr Hair, because the majority of people do not share his view of how we was treated.

Anybody who was involved with events at The Oval knows that Mr Hair was the man responsible for the ball-tampering verdict against Pakistan, Mr Hair was the man who stopped the match from being resumed despite requests from cricket boards and the ICC, and it was Mr Hair who was the senior umpire taking responsibility for the decision-making.

Indeed Mr Hair has upset the Pakistan team with his arrogant manner prior to The Oval, as well as angering India and Sri Lanka. For Mr Hair to now claim that he was the victim of racism is a further affront to the people he has already offended.

Perhaps I should sue Mr Hair for racism? At the press conference following last year's ball-tampering hearing he refused to answer a question I put to him but answered the same question when asked by a white journalist. Frankly, Mr Hair's obnoxious attitude towards me didn't bother me in the slightest, by contrast it was highly revealing. Indeeed, several senior journalists came up to me afterwards to make this very point.

There comes a time when you should draw a line under events, accept where you went wrong, and move on. It's too simplistic to say that Mr Hair had a good record for getting umpiring decisions right. That becomes meaningless when you have a track record of handling major issues badly.

Mr Hair deserved the judgement he received from the ICC, and I'm sure I'm not alone in growing tired of his self-righteousness.

	'Dr Nasim Ashraf promised: "By the start of the new year, I want the board to turn a new leaf and work under the new constitution." Where is it?' © AFP

Now is the time for anguish, pain, inquisition. When cricketers underperform we see their sins laid before us, especially if we've managed to acquire ourselves a high-definition widescreen television. Yet it's the men who scurry around in the shadows that worry me. Most Pakistan supporters had hoped for a regime that would stabilise the international team. Events have conspired against the current cricket board, of course, but the last few months have produced more questions than answers. Here are some issues that are troubling me:

1 Dr Nasim Ashraf promised: "By the start of the new year, I want the board to turn a new leaf and work under the new constitution." Where is it?

2 He also said: "We intend to plan for it [the World Cup] in detail. I am fully intent on making the selection process foolproof." Hmm, perhaps "approved by fools" would have been more accurate? The handling of Shoaib Akhtar, Shabbir Ahmed, Azhar Mahmood, and Shahid Afridi, for example, could hardly be interpreted as foolproof.

3 Waqar Younis. An enlightening exchange between Salim Altaf, director of PCB operations, and Waqar on GEO television was a public relations triumph for Waqar. Altaf, who revealed himself to be a man mired in bureaucracy and unwilling to address Waqar's complaints directly or in detail, implied that Waqar had been employed by the board for just under a year without any appraisal or review of his performance. Shameful management, I'd say. No wonder then that Waqar's role drifted so far from his original job description to render it irrelevant. Yet Altaf clung to that original job description as if variation from it was impossible and used it to justify the board's final treatment of Waqar.

My view is that the board handled Waqar's ouster in a crass and insulting manner. By Waqar's own admission, Bob Woolmer and Inzamam-ul Haq both preferred to have Mushtaq Ahmed as assistant coach. But on the evidence of the first two crash-wallop games in South Africa, Pakistan's fast bowlers are going backwards rather than forwards.

Indeed, to say that Waqar would not be useful for one-day games is mindboggling for Pakistan supporters who saw him become one of the greatest one-day bowlers ever, particularly in pressure situations. Not just that, he was a pioneer.

4 Mushtaq Ahmed. I want to understand how one minute Justice Qayyum's inquiry can be used as one of the reasons to keep Mushtaq out of the coaching set up but is then conveniently forgotten a few months later? Where's the intergity in that about turn?

5 Appointments by acquaintance. It's not always wise to protest too much. The PCB has got into a peculiar habit of refuting criticism by penning rebuttals in newspapers. One such rebuttal denied a charge of nepotism in appointments at the board and refuted an earlier piece published in Dawn, Pakistan's most highly-respected newspaper.

I made some inquiries of my own and discovered that senior Pakistani journalists are convinced Ahsan Malik, the new head of media at the PCB, is closely related to Nasim Ashraf. Malik was one of the first appointments by Ashraf's regime. Now my view is that it is fine to appoint a relative provided they happen to be the best person for the job. Unfortunately, the jury is out on Malik. And now that the board has publicly denied this relationship--in a piece curiously penned by Malik himself--it has got itself into a potentially disastrous situation. The disaster would be this: If the two are indeed related, which senior journalists insist that they are, then I do not see how either of them can remain in post having denied that they are related to each other?

To add to the sequence of doubtful recruitments, the PCB appointed PJ Mir, a friend of both Ashraf and President Musharraf, as its media manager for the World Cup.

Where's the independence in these appointments? Not much if critics are to be believed.

6 One of the latest media brainwaves is for the PCB to help newspapers send journalists on foreign tours by introducing a "cost-sharing" scheme. Excuse me, in case I've forgotten how journalism works, but anything that compromises the independence of those journalists is unacceptable. In a poor country like Pakistan, he who pays the piper really does call the tune. Most journalists in Pakistan do not enjoy the power, freedom, or the pay of their colleagues in richer countries, and the PCB's initiative is not one of liberation but of media management.

7 With each new PCB regime we are promised merit, ethics, and transparency. Nasim Ashraf's is no different. He also said he wanted to be judged by performances and not mere words. Well, I'm afraid that both the words and performances are causing concern.

Pakistan fans, who care passionately about their favourite game, want some answers. This is not just about the World Cup--although it partly is--but it is about something far deeper in Pakistani society: Whether or not we can trust our major institutions?

If the PCB were to address these concerns I would be delighted to share its responses here. Don't hold your breath though, this is a cricket board already with much to answer.

	Pakistan need to get their World Cup house in order © Getty Images

Obviously, there are myriad reasons why Pakistan find themselves in this predicament. Yet Bob Woolmer and Inzamam-ul Haq must decide quickly on the combination that wil best serve Pakistan in the Caribbean. Autralia, who might have been in turmoil with players retiring, are reinvigorated. Whereas of the possible pretenders to the title, India and South Africa look to be striding forward while Pakistan are regressing.

Unlike some commentators I enjoy 20/20 cricket, a form of the game that is closest to the one played by most amateurs. We mustn't be snobbish about it. But we mustn't overinterpret the recent result either. Pakistan essentially fielded six players who had been either twiddling their thumbs or returning from injury. The early conditions didn't help. And the crash, bang, wallop of 20/20 can be dominated by a couple of stellar performances.

But there can be no excuses from here on in. Pakistan must get their team right, their batting order right, and their strategy right. The formula has to be flexible but one that can allow reserves to substitute in case of injury or fatigue. It has to be one that contains players who can turn a match, particularly bowlers who can take wickets and batsmen who can see an innings through.

Above all, there can be no sense of it'll be alright on the night. It has be right from here on in. One look at Australia is enough to understand why there isn't a moment to waste.