Cricinfo - Blogs - Pak Spin - Coach and captain: ten matters of choice

Wow, Pakistan are in a super tough position. I'm not sure about either job. Dawar, thx
for posting this link in the previous topic. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6846012691398407951
Shoaib, in that video was pretty, how shall we say it, acting like a crybaby. Simply put, while he looks innocent he ain’t. Shahid Afridi? Well he has energy but he is overly religous. Plz correct me if I’m wrong about that, cuz I’m not 100% sure. Younis Khan? I don’t like him but of the three, he is the best choice. I remember in one of the test vs. England this summer, while inzi was off the field, I remember Younis Khan set the field brilliantly and Pak got a wicket. I remember seriously hoping Inzi would retire. Btw, why does Inzi go off the field so much? Small blatter? Having trouble breathing cuz he ran too much? I dunno. I’m totally lost when it comes to the coach. One thing I’m sure about when it comes to coaching is that, Waqar has to come back. Since he left Pak bowlers have been getting hammered. Not that they weren’t before but there has been an increase.

Khansahab, in Kamran’s previous post you accused me of being a hypocrite because I said don’t write one liners like, “I agree with you Kamran”, cuz they don’t help further dissect the topic, and then I wrote one myself.

While mine didn’t dissect the topic, it wasn’t an annoying one either. No one had written anything for 3 days so I just asked Kamran to start another topic. I hope the self proclaimed “Pacifier" and the “Negotiator” will finally be able to make sense of my using a one liner.

I would agree that we have to plan for the long term. We need to have a young dynamic captain.Who also happens to have a good cricketing brain.The era of seniority has to end.

The candidates for captaincy:

Younis Khan Pros: He is the direct opposite of Inzi personality wise, is believed to be a greater tactician, displays greater enthusiasm on the field, exudes confidence.

Cons: Does not have the respect of his team mates,did not do himself any favours with his dummy captain resignation. His form in odi is abysmal. Age wise according to younis Khan on his webpage on Big Star cricket his year off birth is in reality 1975. Which would make him 32 this year.If were looking for somebody young who is going to be around in 2011 I think that is also a big factor against him.

Mohammed Yousaf Pros: Has experience of captaining the side, Is popular among the players, is the number one player in the side.Is the only contender deserving a place in both the one day side, and Tests.

Cons: Again too old. Is more docile than Inzi personality wise. Lacks the aggression needed, Simply lacks that X factor no real dynamism. Not sure if he can handle the pressure of captaincy.

Shoaib Malik Pros: Young dynamic, Has shown the ability to play under pressure. He is a 3 dimensional cricketer can bat, bowl and is a brilliant fielder.Has a good cricketing brain.

Cons: Ruined his chances by throwing a match as Captain with Sialkot. May struggle to get the support of seniors in the side. Also has had his reputation tainted by allegations from Sarfraz Nawaz. Although I believe the allegations are baseless. I think with the general mentality of people being that there is no smoke with out fire.I think that will also count against him.

Shahid Afridi Pros: Dynamic, aggressive, has done quite well as captain in domestic cricket. Popular among fans and players.Is also a good utility cricketer.Has become a genuine Worldclass bowler in odi. Seems to have a burning desire to be captain.

Cons: Hasnt improved as a batsman in 10 years off international cricket. His consistently, inconsistent performances. Too impulsive. Regarded by many to be a great entertainer but not a great cricketer. Is no spring chicken either I think regardless of his stated age.He and Razzaq are atleast 30.

The Wild card Could be Salman Butt. With some fans calling for a young Captain, In the mold off Graham Smith of South Africa. I think the chances of this happening are how ever limited. Might be one for the future.

Personally I would favour Shoaib Malik. However I also wouldnt mind Shahid Afridi. Afridi may not be a convential choice. But May be its time we went against convention. How about Afridi as captain and Malik as Vice-captain or vice versa.

As for coach I think Aquib Javed may be a good bowling coach. Rashid Latif definitely needs to be head coach. He definitely has a passion for coaching. The man is a Straightshooter who doesnt show favouritism and is aggresive in his approach to cricket.

Assalamualikum
You dont understand do you. Religion is a badge of honour and should be displayed....you dont understand that victory comes only through Allah.....You sound like the president and the PCB chairman
seriously people need to understand that you can not even move a finger by your self. Atleast be thankful to Allah.
And why blame religion for the bad performances....why not blame the pressure everyone put on the players back in pakistan.
Maybe if you started praying and read the quran and understood what islam is then you would understand what the pakistan players understood.

Assalamualikum

Just one name come into my mind. Why not our board try to get Wasim Akram. I guess he just left the game and he ha the ability to control players as well. And as far as captain Younis Khan Shouldnt be in the One day team. These guys will make a mistake By appointing him as a captain. And as far as the captain is concerned. Long term Planning is required and till now the most consistent in young players is only Shoaib Malik and he can be a good choice and a long term one as well.

I usually agree with you kamran but this time you are totally out of line. You are painting the 80s and 90s as they were great eras of pakistan cricket. In fact these were times when Pakistan underachieved. Losing a home series to zimbabwe. About 10 captaincy changes. Most importantly severe politics and infighting. In fact Inzi's team overachieved. We drew a test series in india when razzaq and Sami opened the bowling. Kaneria was unproven, he still is, and arshad khan was going to give us control. We came back from the dead to beat a good england team in Multan. In 1992 the PCB gave the captaincy to an unproven immature leader in Wasim Akram rather than giving it to a person who had captaincy nous in Javed Miandad. The PCB will be making a mistake if they dont give the captaincy to yousuf. He is a well respected individual along with being the best player. YOunis cannot command respect and most importantly malik and afridi dont play in both test or odis consistently.

Abdul Qadir himself said that players making it to the Test Level should not need any coaching. We need a people Manager most of all at which Intikhab Alam has a pretty good record. Let the players train and work on their skills at the academies.

kamran I would like to emphasise the autonomy of the cricket board. We require a board of directors with veto powers. The board should appoint a chariman for p.c.b and any trials which need to be held should be held by the board. To be honest just because the senate committe memebers are cricket fans doesn't mean that they should be questioning inzi and naseem ashraf , becaseu the valid question will never be asked this way . A panel should consist of people who know cricket and not just like it. Lets try and run pcb like the modern day organization not a dman punchayut like in our villages.

Pakistan cricket runs in four year cycles. We went throught the same acts of long-term success planning after the 2003 worlcup. The four years following that saw constant fluctuation with the continuous dumbing down of expectations and empty rhetoric of "we're a young team". I'm afraid we might end up repeating this cycle.

My thoughts on this are in line with Imran Khan. We really need to build a better domestic system, with divisions and grade system for the long run. We need to limit our reliance on captains and coaches to train the team on the job. Imran Khan was the exception, lets not think the solution for Pakistan cricket is in finding the right captain and coaching staff.

Pakistan has already seen , through criminal negligence of the ruling elite the murder of hockey and squash. Cricket was left as one of the very few things to take pride in. The sycophant and cronies of the ruling elite who does not seem to have any shame whatsoever and taken sycophancy to a new level of shamelessness are well on the way to destroy cricket. After watching cricket for almost 40 years I , now am inclined to give up. Its not because of one defeat in the hands of Ireland but because the writing of doom is clear on the wall. The colonial masters of Pakistan, who replaced the british as the desi colonialist and their cronies are selling out cricket exactly the way they have sold out Pakistan. Shame on Nasim Ashraf to continue with disgrace as CEO of PCB. I have no hope left for Pakistan cricket. Imran is the only hope but he is sacrificed at the alter of politics. AYAZ KHAN ALEXANDRIA USA

Malik for me is the best choice, lets work for the future, why is it that we keep pointing the most senior players?...lets look at every successful team and we will see that they go by merit and for the future and not by choosing the most senior or best player. Australia chose Ponting even when Warne and McGrath were around..the more respected and seniors members in the team. Even South Africa chose Smith, someone really young and energetic and he has shown great success so far...i think we need Youth to give our younger players confidence and backing, give Malik the captaincy he will work wonders

Yaar, I really don't understand why the hoopla fueling the eternal fire of our cricket. We are simply incapable of running any institution successfully, or remotely close to it.

Do this, Do that, all in vain, really if you think about it.
I don't have words to describe how I feel about all this.

Batting & feilding coach must be javed Mian Dad and bowling coach must be Aqib Javed

Entire fiasco is idiots managing fools. Our players are no good for nothing over hyped stars who are there because most of them performed a decent innings few years back. We all know cricket is their only livelihood, but for godsake men atleast dare to earn it. I dont care if they win or loose any game, but put a performance worthy of a good fight.
With all current huff n puff, things will return to same, we will loose to decent team out of country and may get some favorable result within, thanks to dead tracks.
For players being religious, they can aim to be a 'wali' but their committments to their job is not there. Is it really 'halal' for them to collect pay cheques then? And why are they wasting their time for useless entertainment when they can be preaching and practicing true Islamic teachings, instead of asking for devine intervention on pitch?

I have been following the Pakistani cricket circus for some time now. Before I make any comment let me clarify that I have played first class.
First analyze the performance of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh....excellent, commendable fighting units!!!! right.
Now Pakistan and India....in shambles right...
The difference in two sets.....
The former.... relying totally on the highly paid coaches for strategy and planning and acting on their advise and guidance and the other two....The players are too big to act on coaches advise. Inzimam had his own strategy and the major decision were his. In the Indian case, the senior players thought Chappel was to much in control.
To me that is the only difference. In todays cricket you need a planner and strategist in the form of a coach and you are the army to go in and win the battle. There are no two ways about it.
I wish some body in PCB and BCCI read this.

Good one. I think the captain should be shoaib akthar

With my limited knowledge of current situation, I would suggest the following:

1. Shahid Afridi Cap
2. Shoaib Malik V. Cap
3. Kamran to be Wicket Keeper
4. Younis Khan to work on solid batting to take Inzi's role
5. Sulman Butt to be an opener with Afridi (he is make or break and may be with added responsibilities Afridi may turn like Smith)
6. Hafeez to work on excellent bowling and eventually become a #6 bat
7. Moh. Yousif to provide strength and stay out of making hasty discussions
8. Asif to stay out of drugs
9. Shabir to bowl legal deliveries
10. Aquib Javeed to find two quickies since Shoaib days are over (what a waste, I hate to see him out but that is part of game and I may never see proud wings span after every wicket ...)
11. Besides two quickie bowler PCB has to look for one more solid batsman, maybe Asiam, Musbuah, Fasial,

I am deviating from the topic of choosing captain and coach but a very pertinent issue relative to Pakistan cricket. It is mind boggling how the PCB and the parliamentary committee are searching for the reason for our loss while keeping their eyes shut to the real and obvious fact: the technical deficiencies of our batsmen against fast rising deliveries directed to their body or the one that leaves the offstump. And the WC failure is not isolated, they failed every time the opposition exploited this weakness on a lively pitch, be it Old Trafford or Leeds or WACA. And this has traditionally been the case and understandably so. What is termed natural talent is really reflex playing habits developed from a very early age. Our batsmen grow up playing on cemented pitches or dull grassless slow wickets. You can not expect them to change these deeply inculcated habits after 10-15 years of cricket. What is beyond everyones understanding is this issue comes up every time we lose overseas and yet decade after decade nothing is done-- same dead pitches, hundreds and double centuries from our batsmen and everyone frogets the issue. The PCB can point to the players beards or mustaches or hair color etc. but I doubt changing the players looks will do much in terms of results. It may however, provide an opportunity for a certain PJM to attract limelight which he failed to do as a cricketer. And as a media manager this gentleman failed to do his job. A member of the team was murdered and no complaints against the security? An incident without precedence occurred and we started defending ourselves instead of questioning the organisers? Shame on PCB. Questioning the player's commitment at every loss will not improve them, but pointing to their technical weaknesses will. Had I not been such a diehard supporter of Pak cricket I would have stopped following this a long time ago.

Pakistan needs Wasim. Inzamam's departure has finally drained away all residual of Imran's work with Pakistan cricket. Imran had the unique ability to pick and nurture world beaters; in his wake he left the team with a galaxy of superstars. But he passed on the ability to develop superstars to one player alone; and that was Wasim. Under Wasim's influence, players like Saqlain, Razzaq, Azhar Mehmood, Shoaib Malik, Afridi and to a lesser extent, Akhtar and Moin, became consistent world beaters. Since his departure though, we haven't been able to produce a single genuine star (Asif being the exception). We don't the infrastructure to systematically produce consistent star performers; we need personalities like Imran and Wasim. Right now, Wasim is a little naraz with Pakistan; lure him back, make him an offer he can't refuse. Only he can put the zing back in team Pakistan today.
When it comes to captain though, I'm afraid we are stuck with the unfortunate option of having different captains for tests and one days; Younis and Afridi being the respective best choices for each format.

Shoaib Malik is the best choice for captain's job for two reasons:
1. Pakistan should find a long term solution for leadership role. South Africa made G. Smith its captain when he was in his early 20s, their gamble paid off, today, they are the No. 1 ODI team in the world.
2. Younis Khan's previous record as a captain and his "not so reliable" batting performance in ODIs is bad enough to keep him from the top job. And as far as Shahid Afridi is concerned, honestly, he has yet to prove that he deserves a place in the team, let alone making him the captain.

I would agree that shahid afridi would not be a bad choice to be made a captian, and as far as coaching is concerned I would say that they should either hire wasim akram or waqar younis for the coaching job as they have vast amount of experience and both of them know aht is going on currently. I would not advise that aaqib javed would be made as a coach because he is not a natural leader as wasim or waqar.

a good article...but only if everyone in PCB thought like this...then our cricket would be a lot different then what it is today... i agree with the young coach part...

Why do you guys hate Mohd Yousuf so much.....?

Shoaib Malik - Captain, Aaqib Javed - Coach , Rashid latif - Chairman of Selectors.

Shoaib Malik has the ability to lead from front. Aaqib Javed is a hardwordking and talented guy. Rashid Latif has a great vision for finding new talent unlike that good for nothing Wasim Bari who has his selection lack of common sense.

the successor should bring in a breath of fresh air...some1 like dav whatmore is ideal...with the new PCB chief being Imran Khan

I believe YOUSUF would be the best choice for captain.He is our best batsman infact ranked No 2 in ICC Test ranking. He was Inzi vice capt for almost two years from 2003 to 2005. He infact captained Pakistan in a test and won it. I just cant understand why did the PCB removed him and appointed Younis as vice capt. Please DONT APPOINT YOUNIS as capt, he is immature and he is not gonna get full support from team.

Hmm Afridi,captain UFFF my stomachs doing summersalts..i like the idea, i think its dangerous..Kamran? I LOVE IT!!! I WANT AFRIDI TO BE CAPTAIN and Yunus to be wise.i think younus should nt be captain because i think he cant handle the pressure.i think afridi knows his battings rubbish and if his captain..i think itl affect his batting..meaning MORE CHEKKEH AND CHOOKEH TO RELEIVE THE BURDEN AND REMOVE FRUSTRATION of perhaps dr saab constantly hackling him..mind you..i dont think ashraf or busharraf'l go anywhere near the bat of afridi LOL might end up in the next world cup all to sudden. AFRIDI?PLEASE BE CAPTAIN..AND A GOOD INVENTIVE ONE!!

I agree with Mr. Abbasi. Pakistan need a coach of this decade. Young Energetic. Same goes for Captain. Younus will not be able to do the Job. This is how I would start a Pakistan Team. Drop Everyone from the Team Except three Player. those three are Salman Butt, Yasir Hamid and Mohammed Asif.Start from the Scratch, If not result will be same.

we need afridi captain

I thing Pakistan cricket board has ignored Saqlain Mustaq for past 4 years and that has gotten them no where. He is one of the best bowlers in the world. He was out with an injury for past couple of years but now he is fit. I think that he is one player that if brought back to the team will make pakistan alot stronger. He has alot of exprenice and can give back to pakistan cricket alot. Recently he did not show his desire to play for england when asked the questioned. So i feel that he wants to play for pakistan and he can help pakistan alot right now.

All great suggestions. Good luck guys. Every great cricket team faces its reality check. Australian cricket threatened to melt down in the face of the Ashes loss - but in the crucible a new determination was forged. I hope it works the same way for Pakistan.

Mr Kamran, you have driven home a point which should have been known long before to the cricket administrators. The only logical captain for Pakistan cricket team is Younis Khan, for he has the experience and the calmness required on the field and in the dressing room.
Being an Indian, i understand fully how disappointed the Pakistan fans would be at the early exit from the cup. But what is needed is patience and time to rebuild. Indian board has done good to retain the Dravid as the skipper and Pakistan board would do good to have a matured captain and coach. Indian and Pakistan people are Emotional guys, so for the cricketers to succeed on field they have to be happy, unlike the Ultra Professional Aussie blokes, who just go out to the field and perform as another day at work.
So in all fairness we need to look at the emotional quotient and ability level of our cricketers and then judge them.
They seem so worried not to lose, due to the high expectation on their shoulders (lot to do with the fan following in their countries), more often than not they are not able to separate the stress from their performances on the fields.
So guys lets give our cricketers (Pakistan and Indian) one more chance and move on. After all it is a game, which we all would like to win everyday, but then in such upsets lies the unpredictable nature of one day cricket.

Well said - very well said. Undoubtly, Pakistan needs to turn over a new leaf or else, suffer the consequences indefinitely.

i think Aaqib iz the best for Pakistan.

I think Shahid Afridi can be a good leader, he showed that in twenty20 cricket which requires lots of leadership when a team is fielding, also he bats more sensibly when he is the captain. All he wants is a permanent number in the batting order.He shouldbe played as a bowling allrounder.

Great points, I believe Pakistan cricket team needs a massive cultural change. Younis Khan should be made the captain and he should only accept the captaincy if all of Inzamam's favorites (read M Yousuf, S Malik, A Razzaq, S Afridi and K Akmal)agree to support Younis Khan sincerely. If they don't they should be simply dropped. M Yousuf and A Razzaq should not be selected in the one day team unless they improve their fitness and fielding standards. It is high time that the PCB realizes that it is simply not good enough to be a batter or a bowler now all 11 cricketers need to fit atheletes.

Kamran,

Clearly, the Pakistani team should have a fresh new outlook and a rush of young talent. The obvious choice is Aaqib Javed for the coach who has clearly proved himself with the U-19 team. I think the following will be the ideal strategy for Pakistani cricket.

a) Use Aaqib Javed and train at least 4-6 players from the U-19 team over the next 4 years
b) Younis Khan as the captain of the team. He is not the best choice, but I don’t think we have an alternative at the moment.
c) Use Waqar or Wasim as bowling coaches and give them long term contracts with a variable rate plan around bowling performances. Their targets should be plain and simple. Deliver and earn your variable rate. This is a must.
d) Establish an academy on batting fundamentals and focus on creating an opening pair that works. We would definitely need some bouncy and fast pitches on local grounds.
e) Whoever is the new captain, groom him in leadership and strategy. Make sure he is cricket smart. Getting help from Imran especially given that he is willing to help Pakistani cricket is not a bad idea in this department. Imran was able to bring the best out of his team and was just sheer competitive and mentally strong. You want a captain who can do this.
f) Last but not least, have Imran re-write the PCB constitution and create a system of local teams that are competitive, well-trained and more importantly, are educated intellectually about the game of cricket.

Abbas

I think Shoaib Malik would be the best choice for captiancy. Younis Khan only can play well in test match but not in ODI cricket due lack of variety in shots. Shoaib Malik will play for long time and has a well cricketing mind and utility cricketer. For coach Aaqib Javed is better choice.

Hi Kamran !
Good to see another of your series of blogs. Yes you are right in mentioning the issues. But we need the solutions and that too in a quick span of time. As far as I am concerned, whoever becomes the captain or coach of Pakistan cricket team, he should be given enough authority and free hand to develop the team stature. We really dont have the best of system and even when Woolmer was here as coach, he had more people who had bigger influence in the team selection and etc. Aaqib Javed is a better choice but I think he should also be given some talented players of U19 team that won the world cup. I want to mention a few names including Sarfraz Ahmed who was keeper and captain of that team, Anwar Ali and Jamshed Ahmed.
For Captain I am always in the favor of Shoaib Malik. He is the obvious choice because he is the most thinking cricketer in the current lineup and after Inzi he will be up with Yousuf as the most Important ODI batsman. { Also finally people realized a mistake in sending him too much down the order recently} People criticize his decision to forfeit that Twenty20 Match; I dont support that decision but while looking for positiveness that he protested the inefficient rules and he was not silenced after a bad rule. That was a mistake of past and he wont repeat that kind of mistake but as he matures he will be a good leader when faced with anything similar. Younis Khan on the other hand has proved that he is pathetic in the most important role in a cricket field. Plus his attitude is not acceptable.
Lets hope for the best.

I totally agree with you Kamran. What Pakistan needs right now is some one who can do the job properly, not someone who is a senior or someone from the old era. Pakistan needs to advance and education is a big factor. They definately dont need to be professors but they need to be educated at a level where they can understand and speak english properly.

Well I always appreciated your comments and articles but today you have totally disappointed me. Mr. Kamran, religion no doubt is a private matter and according to you, it should not be a badge a of honor. What a ridiculous and ill-thought statement. Why should it not be a badge of honor. You think that Inzi and team prays 5 times a day and saying Bismillah before staring a conversation is like showing off the religion. Religion had made this team so gelled and strong and now when the team has not performed well, you are criticising our religion. Seriously, you need to carefully write your articles next time.

Other aaspects also don't make much sense. Can you read a mind of a cricketer. How would you determine whether he is a good cricketing brain or not. I think an experienced cricketer would be able to handle the situations well. Or otherwise the junior/less experienced cricketer has been exposed to captaincy at domestic level.

Absolutely, education is a must and PCB should be encouraging junior cricketers to persue education. English should be an important aspect in educating cricketers.

Kamran, Why are you ignoring Md Yusuf. I thought Pakistan needed a strong personality as a Captain. Is it because he is too religious??? I think PCB should try him as a captain. My one xents worth.

So a devout Muslim like Inzamam has the audacity to claim that he did NOT know bout Justice Qayyum's recommendations regarding Mushtaq Ahmed. Now, thats a slap in the face of every loyal Pakistan cricket fan. Either Inzamam is a liar, and needs to look closely at himself in the mirror and ask himself exactly what kind of a Muslim he is; or he has just proven himself to be the worst pathetic excuse of a man who should never have been made the Pakistan captain just because he happened to be the most senior. I sincerely hope that he is asked to explain that ignorance claim in more detail. And I also hope that we do not have to see him again on the Test field either. Any one who is the next captain will have a hell of a time managing the team with a surly Inzamam in the dressing room holding Tableghi missions instead of team meetings.

The Ideas given by Mr. Kamran Abbasi are quite well and reasonable. However, I would like to add here that last time following the early exit of our team in 2003 World Cup tournament, our board promised to build a team of youngesters and promised that the team will be able to win the 2007 World Cup. The results are even worse than the situation in World Cup 2003. This was because of the induction of senior players into the team. Mr. Amir Sohail (selector of Pakistan team in 2003) promised not to include Afridi as a player since he dont deserved any seat in Pakistan team, however, at the request of Mr. Captain Inzimam, he was inducted. Some time he showed with his bat and bowl, however, mostly, he is a failure. My question is that who take the responsibility of developing players power in the team. Younis Khan himself is not a good player, why do you recommend him as a captain. A one-down player has a lot of responsibilities when sent under-pressure due to early fall of opening wickets. However, he seems to be at fishing and edging the balls outside offstump that is equivalent to a suicide. Why these players dont accept responsibility. Inzimam has accepted responsibility for the early exit of the team, do you feel that Inzimam's acceptance of responsibility relieves him from all charges.

Cricket is the passion for Pakistan nation. They allowed to invest a lot in cricket. It is People's money which is being spent on the team's comforts. I am of the opinion that whole Pakistani team should be suspended inclusive of the Management and Board Officials. A seed level research and telent hunt should be carried out through out the country. This would facilitate inclusion of true talent in the team.

Regards

These are my choices
COACH:Rashid Lateef, because there is always something true in his comments that we can agree on and he knows when a good player needs a break and he knows what is going on in the domestic level of pakistan, while he knows how to bond a team together instead of relying upon a couple of players to do the job. I desperately DON'T want Javed Miandad he doesn't have enough brains to coach a team, when he was coaching, the team only won matches because the players were good.

CAPTAIN:Shahid Afridi, because he is energetic, never gives up, just like Graeme Smith. We don't need a senior player to be captain, because even afridi has a lot of experience. Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Malik or Yousuf could be vice. I didn't like yousuf before as a captain but since he converted to Islam he has matured a lot, enough to be vice captain. Razzaq captained Pakistan very well in a losing cause against the West Indies, he changed the bowling at the right time, kept a field needed and also kept the spirits up.

In the end we need a coach who can keep the team as a team and knows what is happening in the domestic matches and also when to rest senior players.
We need a captain always talking to the boys, who never gives up, is always alert and whom the players respect a lot, of course the CAPTAIN AND COACH both NEED BRAINS

You have nailed the hammer right on the head. some excellent observations and I do believe that if pakistan cricket is to survive there will have to be some concrete decions rather than haphazard ones. there are four years until the next world cup PCB should look to find a coach and captain that will be retained for the next four years. I believe shoaib malik should be the logical choice for captain the reason being 1) he is consistant and a captain should be consistant as it does wonders for the team spirit and has a positive impact on team performance. 2) he has been leading his side in domestic cricket so he has an idea of what captaincy is like.
I am totally against younis khan as being captain although he might seem the reasonable choice but one starts to question is ability to grasp the situation after that pathetic captaincy in the the ICC champions trophy. if you look at the ability of a player to adapt and to learn shoaib malik is by far the better choice.
We should get a captain that not only has the ability to adapt quickly but should be able to grasp the sitution and given the improvements in individual performance i firmly believe that shoaib malik will learn quickly and by the next world cup should be as cunning a captain as ponting.

By the way, questioning integrity of players, the so called sports journalists and analysts should look at themsleves first. These are the same people who used to write in favour of religion for team's performances. Look at articles o n CricInfo itself and you will find the reasons behind Yousaf's record score in last year and Pakistan's vistory over India in India. See how these pundits have changed in no time.

How about doing an honest research and look into the successful cricket structures around the world. Australia,South Africa, New Zealand and to some extent may be England are the top structures to look at. Here is what I think Pakistan should do:

>> Greame Smith was made a Captain at a very young age, 22. The board supported and backed him and all the players stood behind him. This was a stand by SA Board and all the players knew that they have to support their Captain rathar than having ambition to become a Captain. It worked and so did in case of New Zealand(Fleming).

>> All around the Internet Pakistani players are a poster of bad communication skills especially in english language. Check YouTube and you will find plenty of videos, let alone Geo TV run regulat skits on Pakistani Players english skill. We need a young, energatic, communicaative and most importantly educated Captain who can brush shoulder with Australian or even Indian Captain with confidence. A Captain should also be well versed in ICC rules so we don't end up in another fiasco like OVAL or like yesterday when Inzamam expressed ignorance about Justice Qayyum's report about Mushtaq. A big part of being an international Captain is your good understanding of game, relationship and communication with other Captains, Teams and your own board. This builds a rapport. The prime example is Imran Khan.

>> I must say BCCI took a few bold steps to teach their players that afterall they are employees of the board and that is how they attain their star power. No shame in learning from the neighbours. For a very long time we have dealt with Shoaibs and Afridis. It's time nuts are tightened and employees are told to show dedication to their job rathar than shooting for Mobilink ads flirting with girls.

>> An independent advisory committee comprising of atleast 3-6 ex top players who have a track record of good management and communication skills along with top cricketing mind should be setup and be a regular part of PCB review. Debates are always healthy and helps in idea exchange and solution implementation.

>> Religion should be personal but being a Muslim and Pakistani it should also show in your attitude and personality. Dedication to your job and contineous hunger for success is part of following religion too. A 5 times daily prayer is famous for bringing discipline in life and untimately does wonder in all aspects of life. Unfortunately, apart from Mohammad Yusuf, no one seem to have sensed the essence and beauty of practicality of prayer. We have way too many "Part Time Shiners" in our team. This unfortunately isn't doing much good to the cause of our players religious face.

>> Coach ? Again no shame in learning from neighbours. A specialised coach in every field headed by the team manager appears to be the best option and why not ? The idea itself is fascinating and if implemented wisely can do wonders. Sorry, no time for old forgotten faces. Time to bring smart, fresh and effective prespective to coaching. Lets start with Aaquib Javed ... an obvious choice.

>> The vision should be long term. We dont want a one year captain or team. A long term vision should be in place. Short list the candidates and work with them. We spend so much money on our players, why not send them somewhere to pick up courses in leadership, team building and cricketing logic ? This probably would be the most beneficial investment on our cricketers. We can start with LUMS. All around the world, teams of all different sports regularly update their skills in different aspects of game. Why can't we do it ? Not to forget English for beginners as well.

My best wishes for Pakistan Cricket. As much as we are disappointed, that much we are hopeful too that some wise decisions will be made this time and we will see long term goals/visions and just not a Band Aid yet again. PCB should take its time. There is no rush or pressure to do anything. A good prepration is the base for success and we expect PCB to take their time to do the homework. At the end it will be players and the die hard fans who will be happy if preperation is top notch.

ya...nice blog....good to see that you highlighted that the coach should have played in the modern era....cricket has changed ovr the years..and so have the coaching methadologies....
even though i am an indian i just luv pakistan cricket and wish the team a success in future...

AOA

This is first time I will disagree with you and the reasons of disagreement are mentioned under

1) Inzimam has never forced any one to follow religious activities. And if players are following religious activities it is their own will which gives them more focus and unite them better.

2) I think if administration wants M Yousaf as a captain then it’s a good choice why you said it’s not a good choice. I have heard from some cricket expert saying he possesses very good cricketing brain and he can be a very good captain.

ALLAH HAFIZ

I would personally go for Younis since I think he is will be a more of attacking captain than inzi. You can't judge him about his captaining from his first outing, lot can go wrong n it did for him in that first 1st as captian.

As far as other option you mentioned Shoaib Malik n Afridi but i am guessing forgott to mention Razaq who has been in our team for ever. Afridi a good bowler n fielder but his batting form fluctuates like a sea. Talking about Malik now i also think he is a very good canidate he has shown us he can play up n down the order n is a very good team players. also he has captianed domestic matches.

Would go for Aaqid in coaching position w/ others help as mentioned above in your post. I think it takes a good coach to bring the U19s WC 2 times back to Pakistan against very good teams.

Now lets see what PCB decides.

I am impressed with the way pakistan is practicing their religion, I don't think they lost because of practicing it too much, you can't practice islam too much it doesn't have a limit to practice at you can practice it as much as you want and the players weren't practicing it like a tableeghi Jamaat they were only doing the basic things, making adhaan in a plane is no reason for them losing the game, does PJ Mir think it's good to listen to music instead of adhaan. It's good to go to casinos like the older players use to do, instead of going to the mosque. Is it good to swear at a good opposition player or praise him. Even waking up for Fajr doesn't mean they lost because of less sleep. When I played a match on a day i woke up for Fajr on the right time, i felt much more fresh and performed better. When I didn't wake up on time I felt tired and performed like a lazy buffalo.

Please, please keep religion out of cricket.We think that by saying inshallah and starting interviews with bismillah we are going to win matches. I don't think God cares about who wins matches. I think thats the least of God's priorities. We need to realize that in front of God's eyes all teams are the same. We need to stop believing that because we are muslims God will favour us and we will win. Why would God favour Pakistan more when he is also the creator of other teams. Pakistan team, please understand, in God's eyes all teams are the same. Just by praying we will not win matches. We will win matches by working hard at cricket and by improving the standard of our cricket. To understand that concept - that by being religious we will win matches is not correct - our cricketers need education. Thats where the real problem is - lack of education. It must be made mandatory that every cricketer must have a minimum of 12th grade education and that they must be able to understand and speak english. Our cricketers can be as religious as they want to be - there is nothing wrong with that; infact, it is commendable - but there should be no public demonstration of such activities and not as a group as our cricketers have been doing lately. I hope I am not sounding aethist - because I am not; I believe in God - but there is a place and time for everything. Our cricketers are not balancing their religious practices with the responsibilities that they are entrusted upon and for which they are compensated handsomely.

Yes, things don't need to be rushed. In fact, the board should stop wasting resources in trying to find reasons for failure and focus solely on building a team for success. Forget the past.

But was religion really that much of a hinderance to the success of the team. I feel that it may have been a bit overplayed.

In our general efforts, as a nation, to prove to the world that we are not "fundamentalists" or "terrorists" I hope that we don't forget that we are Muslims.

I dont understand why no one is addressing the domestic cricket restructuring that Imran Khan and so many other cricketers have highlighted as the major area in need of improvement. We do not need to reinvent the wheel here. Simple logic demands following an example that has worked extremely well for Australia i.e. only having 6-8 competitive domestic teams as opposed to as many as 2 per city (e.g. Lahore). Furthermore, we need to invest more money into cricket infrastructre. PCB should start building more cricket grounds that are compliant with international standards and are actually used for playing cricket as opposed to hosting wedding functions for politicians and their children. Finally, we need to start creating fast, lively pitches so that we fully leverage our vast fast bowling resources along with helping our batsmen acclimatize to conditions that they have trouble with when playing outside of the sub-continent. I am no cricket expert but I dont think it takes a genius to realize that these three measures will go a long way in improving the quality of cricket and cricketers in Pakistan.

PJ Mir was wrong about pakistan's overdose of religion, why does he think india lost, were they too practising their religion too much, Were Ganguly and Dravid hindu guru's?
Were Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel leading a tableeghi Jamaat?
Were Dhoni and Yuvraj keeping a beard and covering their hair with a turban?

I quite like the idea of Aaqib Javed, inject new blood in to coaching. Tom Moody is a prime example with Sri Lanka. As for Captain I say go with Shahid Afridi, he is dynamic, explosive and a perfect gamble. He has the attitude of 'nerver say die'

Why we want to make religion out of our life. Why we so determined to blame Islam and love of it for everything. We are Muslim and should not be ashamed of it. I am not here to talk about religion but just want to say that Islam is not a religion it is walk of life.
Did we not praise these players when we were winning and saying it was all about team spirit which was generated due to religious congregation. Did we not make big news when Ulema was travelling with Pakistan team during India's trip to Pakistan.
Please Stop this non-sense to enlighten moderation which PJ Mir is repeating. If team follows true spirit of Islam then they will not be looser.

Aye shabash! First thing's First. We are not going to win the next world cup. That is the wrong attitude to have sir. Try, playing to your potential. Try backing yourself when you go out to bat. Try not being afraid. Try not loosing the battle before it even starts. Try not being week minded. Try being coolheaded ( not showing bats to the crowd). Try using common sence. Try not to shove and slap coaches. Try restraint. Try putting up your hand when the team needs you. Try being accountable. Try not to let your heart become the size of a pea when see difficulty( like a green top). Try doing all the things that someone does when they go out to find bread for there kids.
They don't need a coach. They need a psychologist. But even a shrink will not be able to help, if they don't have strength of character.
I apologise to all those terminaly ill patients who wanted to see pakistan play with guts before they said good bye. ( notice I didn't say win the world cup).

Excellent one by you this time. You have mentioned everything. This is the last opportunity for us to take charge and come out with positive and some bold decisions. We have the players, we have the coaches its just that we need to be postive and come out of the defensive mindset. I would suggest that make Fawad Alam or Hassan Raza the VC. This is the right time to give the young guns an opportunity.

kamran sahib,i partially agree with you accept what you said about relegion ,i think relegion covers each aspect of life and relegion can only improve the performane of a person so taking it as a harmful phenomenon is not a wise thinking.
secondly there is some thing which i want to bring to your attention and that is more important than appionting coaches and captains.its making supporting pitches in pakistan and if we can't make bouncy seamy pitches then have portable pitches import from abroad.the second key issue is to cut overdose of one day mathces.its killing the fitness of our players which is also a pivitol factor of our recent demise.thanks

I have pondered on the captaincy issue for awhile and have come up with a choice which many may deride as weird and totally out of sync. Though he has not played international cricket for awhile but has enough experience both at the domestic cricket level and with Pakistan ‘A’ team to be considered as worth a try. My choice for the coveted post is Misbah-ul-Haq. This 33-year old right-handed batsman from Faisalabad has been on the scene for quite awhile. He has played few ODIs and Test matches and certainly has some years of cricket still left in him. He has also been the skipper of Pakistan ‘A’ team and has extensive experience of leading various first-class outfits in domestic cricket. Critics will opine that he isn’t a team regular but after Inzamam’s retirement there’s a place lying vacant in the middle-order and Misbah can adequately fill that position. Anyhow after relinquishing the captaincy and retiring from ODIs, Inzamam should be honorably asked by the cricket board to bow out of Test cricket as well. To further boost Misbah’s case as a strong contender for the post, he is one of the very few educated cricketers presently available and to boot, he’s articulate enough to convey his message in the best possible way. Are there any takers of my suggestion?

Well i think Shahid Afridi should take the captaincy as he is aggressive and young and in my opinion aqib javed is the best coach we have here in pakistan. Better than Stupid Sarfaraz Nawaz and OLD and SICK MINDED Javed Miandad and LAZY MUDDASAR NAZAR

Well younis khan's reluctance is understandable, knowing pakistani cricketer's love to aspire captaincy regardless of their cricketing brain is well known.
If younis declines, then the only option pakistan has is probably shoaib malik, afridi is a gamble just like inzamam was (just in an extremely opposite direction).
Aqib Javed is an interesting candidate as the coach, i would also like to see Rashid Latif with the team in some capacity, in nothing, Rashid's work ethics, fitness and street fighting skills were something no one can deny and it is these three basic qualities that Rashid possessed and the current pakistan team lacks. He can work as a facilitator and also create a solid partnership with younis khan.
There should be no rush in making a decision, Pakistan's next assignment is a few months away and they should take enough time to decide on these matters.
Also one area the board should look at is working on ways to improve the standard of fielding, in the long run they might have plans but they should do about it in the short term as well, and in fact atleast for one day cricket, fielding must be a prerequisite and no matter how good a cricketer one is, if he's not a good fielder, he should not be considered. It may be harsh and drastic, but this is probably the only way pakistani cricketers would learn

I totally agree with the writer. There was crap like performance review commitees in 99 and 2003.. what better we saw?? the team wasn't weak.. we had some greats missing in bowling though,, but it wasn't the bowling... it was th batting that let us down. If u see in past, short term plans have been made to cool down the public. i think someone may forward the above points to PCB management and president Musharaf. If they spend a few minutes to read, we might get a better team... all we need is proper management and consistancy

my Suggation is capton of paistan team shoaib malik and coach aqib javed and must play asim kamal in one down and pls dont expariment.....

Pakistan can experiment with 2 captains for a while. For ODIS afridi and for tests lets try shoaib akhtaR PROVIDED HE IS CLEARED OF DRUG CHARGES.These are bold choices and may go either way. I think after the timid approach of inzi and co. it would be a good change that a bold leadership is put in place.

iam nt in favour of younis khan,i dnt think he is a one day player..i think shoib malik n afridi r the best choice..the captain should be aggresive so afridi should be appointed.

Hassan Raza should be the Captain.

1. Younis Khan sucks in captainship. He has no mind just like Inzi... we need a shrewed educated captain not an emotional senseless and most of all non-committed captain.

2. Hassan Raza is already the captain of Habib Bank of Pakistan and Karachi Team, two of the biggest domestic clubs.

3. He is one of the best batsmen in domestic scenario currently, hence can lead by example. His domestic record say for itself. Guys like shoaib malik and afridi (only good in domestic pitches) still have worse batting record compared to him.

4. 10 years of professional experience as a player in domestic and international scene.

I agree with everything except one. I am just tired of listening to this "Religion is a Private Affair". Ok, i agree that no one can be forced to perform prayers and show religious inclination but remember, this team represents our country, which is an Islamic Country, and Islam should be a badge of honour for all Muslims. What's wrong if team perform prayers in the flight, the only wrong is if certain players are forced. But then again, if half of team prays and half dont, that will clearly show disunity and give an impression to others that prayers are optional for muslims, no prayers are mandatory, in any condition what so ever. It was disgusting to read the statement of PJ Mir, a Muslim. I dont know what Bob Woolmer used to think about that, but i cant recall him making any statement, though i do remember that once he said that religion has brought an element of unity among the players. I hope such attitude is not carried forward.

At least in terms of religion, P J Mir and Kamran Abbasi think alike, and hold religion as a hurdle for Pakistani cricketers.
One wonders when next Pakistan team loses (without Inzimam), would we say it lost because the players' outlook on life is liberal! Nonsense. Pakistan lost purely because of cricketing reasons.

And Pakistan had lost badly when Imran Khan was captain -- remember the 1983-84 tour of Australia; half-fit Imran Khan and a reluctant stand-in captain Zaheer Abbass. Remember 1989 tour of Australia under Imran when Pakistan lost continously to Australia in one-dayers.

And Mr Kamran Abbasi, if your memory serves you right, Pakitan team was never known for its positive attitude except when Imran Khan was captian. Remember the negative tactics of Zaheer Abbas and Javed Miandad as captains. Go back to days when pitches were tailor made for them and umpires were there to help them out when the bowling was tough.

Inzimam's contribution is much greater than Imran because he did not have the services of players Imran had. How would you compare Wasim and Waqar with Gul and Rana?

Kamran, you stole my thunder. I was going to write to you one of these days and suggest to you about the importance of education amongst our cricketers.
I think they will be able to win half the battle in the field if they could understand the sledging and reply to them not in the same manner but in sort of 'who cares' reply. Sledging is common in local cricket in Australia and they learn it from very young age.
Apart from sledging, just being able to communicate with other teams' members will give them great confidence. I believe Pakistani players should have minimum of grade twelve qualification before they could join the team. Other than coaches for everything cricket they should have English language Coach/Tutor traveling with them all the time. That tutor should be English or Australian, because they need to learn all the slangs, accents and daily use language, and not typical old style English taught in Pakistani Schools and Colleges.

Sajjad, Melbourne

Inzimaam has done a service that needs to be emulated by a *lot* of people in the leadership role in Pakistan - he has taken the responsibility of failure and resigned.
PCB, on the other hand, not shown any remorse of its failings and placed the onus on the outgoing leadership.
What we need is a new PCB before a new coach and skipper - and we don't need to be patient about it. Time is now.

One suggestion to add. As Captain we can also think of Shoib Akhter. Why.......... He has the character and personality to lead. Yes he has some attitude problem but as a captain if he does not improve the only door left is the emergency exit door. Make him the captain for a year, with Shoib Malik or Afridi as his deputy, see how it works and then if its good continue or else make a change. I am positive this can work in favor of Pakistan.This will give a chance to the youngsters to groom.

Younis should not be judged just by the champion's trophy performance. He should be given time to adjust to the new role and develop a team. We can easily get into another phase where captains are switched repeatedly at short intervals. We should avoid that and try to stabilise things. Which makes it more important to make the right choice in the first place. Younis has a positive attitude and is a generally likeable individual. However, he does have to be comfortable in the position and his role as a batsman is so critical to the team we can not afford to lose him as a player. Afridi's volatility and inconsistency is too risky to bet on.
I strongly believe we need a foreign coach again. Local coaches have a history of getting embroiled in team politics and there are not a lot of qualified local coaches around. But i dont think any foreign coach will now accept. Anyway, whoever the coach is, the responsibility of coach and captain should be clearly defined and should not be left at the behest of the relevant individuals.

Right now Pakistan Cricket is in trouble and i must the the biggies of Pakistan cricket should take bold steps to to implement a long term planning which india cricket board is doing.Choose a coach and captain on merit coz and pakistan cricket borad should select some new players and groom them for the future.How much can we rely on our old talant.find out some new talent and give them a chance both in batting and bowling.pls pls think about the pakistan cricket future which right now is looking not soo much good.

Please do not hurry.There's plenty of time. Make a good choice for captainy and coach.Get the advices of former cricketers like Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and do not put Javed Miandad as coach.

For Captancy I believe Shoaib Malik is the only and obvious choice. He is the only batsman among the youngsters who has shown potential and can bat at any order.

Yasir Hameed and Salman Butt with Asim Kamal Younis Khan, Youhanna, Shoaib Malik, Abdul Razzaq, Afridi Kamran Akmal Umar Gul, Sami and Asif is the order PCB should work at.

Enough of Shoaib Akhtar, Rana, Danish and the unfit lot. Its time to bring young blood and groom them before facing another early exit in the world cup.

Kamran as u said religion is the private matter for the cricketer but for MUSLIMS it is their first priority.
In 2003 World cup Pakistan didnot qualify for the
super six at that time no religious things in the team why Pakistan out from the tournament in first round. Our religion has best impact on our lives because "ISLAM ZABITA-E-HAYAT"

Afridi's passion will do the trick.

Younis Khan must accept captaincy as he has skills for being captian

Inzamam is retiring, while some are suggesting Younus Khan should be the next captain. I humbly request the PCB not to make another mistake, because he does not have that kind of attitude, who can guide the team in case of pressure. I have watched the Pakistan world cup matches against West Indies and Ireland, the way Younus got out in both the matches, shows his immaturity.

I agree with you. There should be no rush to name a captain and / or a coach. On the coaching front I do agree with you Aaqib could be a good choice?

As for a captain pakistan has a choice between a hot headed vice captain who does not want the job and is not automatic choice for the one day game (yonus khan), another hot headed player who got into a spectator and caused pakistan to lose against WI and Ireland (Shahid Afridi, yes I do believe pakistan because of his absense) and is not an automatic selection in the test side, a jimati who is a one dimensional batsman and is way past his prime in the one day matches (Mohd. Yousuf and a youngster who has admitted to throwing a match so he could avenage a loss in a 20 / 20 game (Shoab Malik). Who to choose?

I choose to have inzi lead me in test matches and *gulp, I know I know, I am almost about to say it * have afirdi lead us in one day matches. Aussies tried this formula with Waugh and Ponting and it worked. Ponting won the one day world cup fr them in 2003 and since then he has proved to be a vry good captain in tests as well.

I would have different captains for the tst and one day teams. Inzi is still mister dependable in the test matches and still has a few more years of service left in him. Afridi is very good gamble to take at this moment, he is atleast one year of grooming away from being a very good captain.

Nation is very pessimistic about that they dont cares, but no body want younus khan to be the captain. thats for sure.

Shoaib Malik for Captain and Aaqib Javed for Coach would be the best options. Fresh blood should be given a chance.

Well I am 100% agree with Kamaran. I just want to add some other points into it. There should be no politics in the team. No one should be allowed to make groups in team. I think management should give team discipline priority over the big names. I don’t mind if we start from the scratch but for that we have to leave the attitude of favouritism. There is a need of change in PCB as well. I think we need professional persons in PCB ratch then urologist and lawyers at the key positions.

THE ONLY and sensible choice, without going into illogical debates, is to entrust Younis with the captaincy without any if and buts. In the process, the Board should try to redress his genuine concerns especially about his role in future team selection.

I really don’t understand how can anyone, particularly you Mr. Kamran, talk about Afridi as next captain – he should not even be part of any future team ( yes.. both ODIs and Test team and i mean it bcs he has not got even a single brain cell which facilitates learning in any human being) I think we should get rid of these ‘half cooked’ players such as Afridi, Razak and Hafiz etc. for good and try to nurture a new crop of specialist players.

Very Good article, simple and comprehensive.
To replace both the Bob & INZI is not the easiest thing, actually both the master man managers! The loss in the WC was only a bad luck of players but the result of fluke domestic infrasructure and lawless/mindless cricket board. I will say even a long term appointment of Coach & Captain will be a short term solution. I will go for Younis or Afridi Captain while Shoaib Malik as Vice captain! Well Afridi can be a dynamic captain with the support calmness of Malik & Yousuf. ANyways, When will we improve our School & College cricket? and when will we have a democrated board with law? the real problems

you are right with ur 10 points.i think shoib malik should be the captain and and 4 coach i think aqib javed is good but can the senior players listen to him he coached a young side in under 19. but we all know what will happen younis khan will become the captain and he isnt a good player. nothing will change in pakistan cricket unless there are changes in the PCB and first class cricket in pakistan

As usual an interesting read. The choices available are rather dull or risky at best. Mohammed Yousuf's laid back style may not suit the hot seat, equally Younis Khan's hot head is not suitable either. What are we left with then Kamran Abbasi has mentioned Shahed Afridi, but I disagree with this choice since we need someone to lead from the front but Shahed's selection is not even guaranteed let alone leading it from front or back. Shoaib Malik might be a better choice but I would think that he is still little too young to be given such a responsibility. That leaves us with Abdul Razzaq and Shoaib Akhter, I would have loved to see Shoaib lead the side prior to his drug ban and several run in with skipper and the board. In the end I believe it is Abdul Razzaq who has been even tempered and consistent in the inconsistent Pakistan outfit and should be given a chance. Now to a coach, I for one believe that a Pakistani coach is better than a imported coach keeping in mind the mentality of our players. I will back Rashid Latif any day, for one thing I know he always performed for Pakistan and not for personal riches, said that we also need a coach who can really help the players in fielding above all and I rate him as the best wicket keeper Pakistan ever produced. With the current form of Kamran Akmal I would hope Rashid will be able to find a suitable replacement and make that person as good or even better than Rashid himself. Rashid also runs a professional cricket academy and thus has experience running a cricket outfit. I think Razzaq and Rashid combination will do a great job for Pakistan in the future. Inshallah.

Awesome Article !!! Well done Kamran Abbasi . You have summarised the whole situation in a very enchanting manner.
At the moment Younis Khan looks like the best choice . The question mark is over his ODI performance. The Captain has to lead from the front like Ricky Ponting and Smith. Younis cannot bat aggresively in ODI's and thats a big negative if you believe in the "Leading from the front ideology". Probably that was the reason Dravid Failed as a captain in ODI's .
Younis Khan would be a great test captain as he proved at various points. He is attacking and is confident. However, at time he tries to act over smart and needs to eradicate this problem. Having said that his temperament is good and has a cricketing mind.
In the end who so ever becomes the captain, May prove to be good for Pakistan and for the game of cricket.

I think Pakistan had a much better pace attack in the early 1990s than it does today for starters. For Pakistan to be a truly good side which can challenge the likes of Australia and South Africa, these could prove very helpful:

1) Pakistan needs to find another batsman. Having 2 batsmen (Younis, Yousuf) in the
Side is reassuring. A third would really hit the spot! It would be nice if
Someone knew how to play spin (now that Inzi is out).
2) Saqlain finds that groove. A bowler like Saqlain (or Murali) is the
Demon you don't want to be facing in a Test match. He used to be Pakistan ace
slow bowler, I don’t understand why is he playing county when we need him for the country (He was the only bowler compared to Murali and we let him go, because some one in the team don’t like him) to me that was a self destructing act by Pakistan cricket management, we definitely need him back, he is not that old only 30 years 102 days and when did he last played for Pakistan in 2003, that’s just ridiculous
.
3) The selectors and board find their souls. The board needs to crack down on
On people who blame Pakistani players of match fixing or make them provide some evidence, support the players like Australia does etc. It must compensate the players fairly and invest in domestic infrastructure, and be fair in selecting the best sides. The talent that exits in Pakistan, I can select two teams only from Karachi who will make 400 against that Ireland bowling.

4) The team finds that it's got game. Living down in Pakistan with cricket crazy fans
May be a psychological burden, but players like Saqlain Mushtaq and Mohammad Yousuf need to provide that motivational edge to the side, leave their difference out of the ground and lead by example in producing quality, professional Cricket. And most of bring Pakistan cricket where it really belong , and I believe if every body associated with Pakistan cricket make honest and 110% effort , we would be the No .1 ranked team in the world , before the next world cup.