ECB chairman Giles Clarke has backed his words with actions © AFP

The history of cricket relations between England and Pakistan is a tale of unpleasant controversy. From the early days when an MCC touring party debagged a Pakistani umpire, doused him with water, and left him to run home naked, our cup runneth over with disagreement and general nastiness.

Mike Gatting and Shakoor Rana, Chris Broad and Lahore cricket stumps, Ian Botham and mothers-in-law, Imran Khan and David Constant, Imran Khan and Ian Botham, Norman Tebbit and his cricket test. Javed Miandad and Aaqib’s jumper, Mike Atherton and buffoon journalists, the Two Ws and ball tampering, Inzamam and The Oval, a glorious catalogue of conflict and disrespect.

Now these might have just been the growing pains of a young country coming of age or the frustration of an imperial power seething at the uppity behaviour of a former colony. The socio-political analysis could take 50 years to write. The outcome, however, of each spat has been to strain the relationships between cricketers, cricket boards, and populations—both native and expatriate.

Enter Giles Clarke, Urdu speaking chairman of the ECB, and the man who has extended a hand of friendship to Pakistan cricket in its time of crisis. Clearly, hosting next year’s series between Pakistan and Australia will be beneficial to the ECB, but the main purpose is to offer Pakistan cricket a safe haven in the midst of its firestorm. This will be achieved through the PCB effectively running the series with help from the ECB, and taking the lion’s share of ticket and television revenue.

These issues matter less to Pakistan fans, especially the many hundreds of thousands in England, than the prospect of seeing their team in regular action. It’s the cricket that matters. Pakistan fans will want to see a strong, confident side tackle Australia and England next summer, and the current captaincy shambles is especially unwelcome at this moment of optimism. Another concern is that the PCB will find some extraordinary way to look this gift horse in the mouth and smash its teeth.

At the launch event for Pakistan’s “home” series against Australia, a landmark home series that will have Lord’s at its epicentre, Giles Clarke declared that relations between the ECB and PCB have never been better, and reiterated his desire to support Pakistan cricket at this time of crisis. He has backed his words with actions. The series will take place. Former England captains Mike Atherton and Mike Brearley, John Barclay of the MCC, and David Morgan of the ICC, all supported the event and the desire to ensure the survival of Pakistan cricket.

It’s usually easy, and often fair, to criticise administrators, but this is one initiative that should earn plaudits for those responsible, as well as those showing solidarity at a time when it is fashionable to knock Pakistan and its people. The Pakistani community in the United Kingdom now needs to respond by making next year’s tours a thunderous success. Pass that test and we may see Pakistan back in 2011 to take on India.

Love spreads.

	The selection of Mohammad Yousuf as stand-in captain underlines Pakistan's poverty of resources © AFP

Younis Khan has withdrawn from the tour of New Zealand requesting a break from cricket. This is nonsensical. Pakistan have barely broken sweat over the last two years. Younis has just won a pivotal power struggle to secure the captaincy. Pakistan require some consistency, not flip-flopping, and regular changes in leadership create inconsistency and doubt. The team needs to build its form and strategies for the big challenge of an Australian tour.

Moreover, Younis' mixed messages have become baffling. As much as many fans believe him to be the right choice as captain, he either wants the job badly enough to stick with it through thick and thin or he should give it up. The problem for Pakistan is that there are few genuine alternatives, and the selection of Mohammad Yousuf as stand-in captain underlines Pakistan's poverty of resources.

All the Pakistan fans who recently supported Younis against the establishment, like me, will be bemused, disappointed, and let down by his decision.

	Pakistan isn't a country to tolerate a non-contributing captain © AFP

This was set up to be an ideal start to Pakistan’s big year of international cricket. A World Twenty20 victory followed by a Champions Trophy semi-final were better outcomes than could have been imagined six months ago. Yes, the batting remained unpredictable but the bowling combination had quickly established itself as possibly the most exciting in limited overs cricket.

Younis Khan had tightened his grip on the captaincy, ready to build his team for great battles against Australia, England, at some point India, and then in the next World Cup. A fiery and ambitious vice-captain had restated support for his fellow Pathan’s leadership. All Younis now needed was a run of form to add some more clout to his captaincy.

The neutral venue was to the liking of Pakistan, homespun wickets that would encourage form from the most fragile of batsmen. Even the opposition boded well, a team that Pakistan are usually confident to beat.

Yet it all went wrong. Pakistan’s batsmen crumbled, leaving a teenage No. 10 to produce a most audacious innings, show his senior batsmen the art of determination, and offer Pakistan supporters some solace at this moment of disappointment.

The seeds of this defeat, however, were sown on the verandas of Lahore. Pakistan’s selection committee, possibly aided and abetted by their captain, played its usual dirty trick of changing the guard at the top of the batting order.

This seven-year itch is baffling. It hurts Pakistan. Since Saeed Anwar’s departure Pakistan have fiddled and failed with this crucial position. All short-term strategies based on personal likes and dislikes and nothing built to last.

Despite the loss in the Champions Trophy, Pakistan seemed to have arrived at a formula that could prosper, especially on the favourable wickets of UAE: Kamran Akmal to open with an ambitious striker. Instead Pakistan’s selectors, tinkers in chief, changed the personnel and the plan.

The touring party baffled us further by dropping the one major batting discovery of the past year, Umar Akmal, for the flimsiest of reasons. And then out went Mohammad Yousuf, a player whose position in the one-day team I’ve questioned myself but the decider seemed a strange time to switch strategies.

All this confusion does is question the new-found authority of Younis Khan. He remains the right leadership choice for Pakistan but he does himself no favours, in his new powerful incarnation, by allowing baffling decisions of strategy and selection.

Every captain makes mistakes. Yet successful captains are able to call on their personal form to cover their shortcomings. Younis faces a testing time. He strengthened his hand but lost his eye. Pakistan isn’t a country to tolerate a non-contributing captain. On the contrary, it depends on the performances of its captain to set the right example and deliver regular success.

These are issues, issues of selection and form, that Younis must address or his ambition of leading until the next World Cup will become a fool’s dream, his claim to the crown ring hollow. Pakistan cricket needs Younis to succeed. In many ways, the easy part was securing his position. Now he has to show greater skill by retaining it.

	Pakistan should dominate the one-day series in UAE © Associated Press

Pakistan embark on their busiest period of international cricket for several years. This is a relief for Pakistan cricket fans who have been deprived of seeing their team play regularly and further deprived of a team that is able to develop. It will be a tough antipodean summer of cricket for Pakistan, who traditionally struggle on these tours -- and that's with a settled and confident team.

As ever, the current squad has potential but this one looks light in the fast bowling department. Provided the first rank of bowlers stay fit, Pakistan should dominate the one-day series in UAE. The dormant tracks will ease the pressure on Pakistan's brittle batting order, which accomodates a curious return for Imran Farhat. It seems the Pakistan selectors are never sure who their best batsmen are. The omissions of Fawad Alam and Imran Nazir are baffling.

On a brighter note, Younis Khan has made an expected return to the captaincy after his recent show of brinkmanship. Younis must now avoid future distractions and focus on building a team that can seriously challenge for the 2011 World Cup and become a force in Test cricket. He has been promised a two-year window to forge his team. That is time enough as the next 12 months will be a serious test of his vision, strategy, decision-making, and strength of character.

Pakistan's reinforced captain has stated that the upcoming series is not about revenge for the Champions Trophy, but the heat of the UAE will be Pakistan's closest stab at home advantage over the next months against a team that they can beat. A false start here will be an ominous omen for the challenges to come. Pakistan need a strong start to their international labours, and if revenge is a motivation then so be it.