A full stadium makes a dull match a thriller. A mostly empty stadium makes a thrilling match dull © Getty Images

Ricky Ponting and Daniel Vettori both declared this year's Champions Trophy a success. A shorter, sharper format meant that most matches were important. The cricket has been gripping enough, though unspectacular. The underdogs met the favourites in the final, and India met Pakistan in a game that was beamed around the world. Enough ingredients, you might argue, to please the ICC? Indeed, the ICC will profess itself to be delighted with the competition. Statistics and soundbites will be used to support their case.

But the ICC should be alarmed by this tournament. What is a spectator sport without spectators? The shoddy turnouts in South Africa are only partly mitigated by the unexpectedly early exit of the hosts. South Africans, we are told, are sports crazy. Well, they weren't mad for the Champions Trophy. It is the second major 50-over tournament to be poorly supported in quick succession.

Cricket's administrators must act. The sport is bankrolled by lucrative television deals. But half the thrill of watching a match on television is that you share the excitement of a live stadium event. A full stadium makes a dull match a thriller. A mostly empty stadium makes a thrilling match dull. Inevitably, cricket will lose the battle for television and internet eyeballs if the spectacle on our screens carries the thrill of a funeral procession. Once that happens, bang goes the business model.

International cricket that is dependent on full houses in only three countries--Australia, England, and India--is unsustainable in the long term. Short-term revenue opportunities with a pandemic of Twenty20 tournaments and gross overexposure of the big teams to each other is taking the fascination and sense of occasion out of cricket. If Liverpool played Manchester United in seven consecutive matches it would become less meaningful even for the most hardened fan. Why is cricket any different?

We all understand the complexities of the Future Tours Programme, and sympathise with those charged with organising it. But the current international schedule is taking the fascination and meaning out of contests, and something needs to be done. I'd argue for more central regulation of the cricket calendar, fewer ad-hoc events and tournaments, and better integration between the formats. More Twenty20, for example, has to mean less of something else. Currently, every new initiative is additive. Less is more. Each match has to matter.

These challenges cannot be insoluble but the ICC has never been convincing in its ability to master them. Many of the representatives on the ICC board are highly accomplished but the political nature of the organisation makes resolution difficult. That political posturing needs to be put aside urgently. International cricket is on the slippery slope to irrelevance. For the past decade, revenue has mattered more than the rude health of the game. Priorities must change.

This Champions Trophy is another serious warning to cricket's adminstrators and power brokers. Adapt or die is the message in 2009, the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin. But are those in control of the evolution of cricket sufficiently selfless and far sighted to win this survival of the fittest?

	It was a sobering sight watching Umar Akmal show his experienced colleagues how to nudge, pinch, and accelerate © AFP

Pakistan fell at least 25 runs short on a good batting track, a performance that could be explained by ring rustiness. An alternative explanation, however, is that Pakistan's experienced batsmen failed to master two fundamental aspects of one-day cricket.

The first of these has dogged Pakistan for over a decade, as they have become too reliant on a rollicking final ten overs. Indeed, the middle order play as if there is no need to rush as it will all come good in the final thrash. But too often the final thrash lasts too few overs and is a major contributor to Pakistan's unpredictability.

The answer is more urgency in the middle to keep the scoreboard ticking and the run-rate up. Pakistan played this game perfectly against India but have disappointed since. It was a sobering sight watching Umar Akmal show his experienced colleagues how to nudge, pinch, and accelerate.

Umar's disappointment at being wrongly dismissed by Simon Taufel was understandable. He had played with passion, pride, and good sense to establish a platform for Pakistan's final thrash. The umpires' decision to report Umar to the match referee was regrettable and pedantic. Fortunately Javagal Srinath sensibly decided to dismiss the charge of dissent.

The second mistake was Pakistan's woeful use of the last Powerplay, which was needed around the 35th over. Again, Pakistan delayed until it was too late and wickets were no longer in hand. It's hard to understand what Pakistan and other teams hope to gain by using the last Powerplay in the final few overs? Clearly, whatever the critics of 50 overs cricket might say, most teams are still well short of mastering this form of the game.

Now Pakistan must regroup for a tough winter. They should depart South Africa with their heads held high and indications of further progress on the road to recovery. But while Younis Khan has created an exciting and successful formula in Twenty20 cricket, his 50 over recipe is a little stale in the batting department.

	Mohammad Asif's return gives Pakistan the option of playing an extra pace bowler © Getty Images

As much as Pakistan beat India in the middle overs, with a wonderful partnership between Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Yousuf, it was the same middle overs that cost Pakistan this encounter. Younis Khan, in particular, broke the momentum of the innings, and Yousuf and Misbah-ul-Haq did not do enough to restore it. It was a deceptively difficult batting track but those unfocused middle overs meant Pakistan's impressive bowling attack was given just too much to do.

For me, the jury's still out on Yousuf, despite the volume of support he has received in previous blogs. Cricket lends itself to statistics but numbers alone are often deceptive. A successful batsman isn't simply one that records the highest volume of runs or achieves the best average, but somebody who makes the difference between defeat and victory, especially when the going gets tough. Yousuf, for all his excellence, has not been that batsman on enough occasions for Pakistan. Once he has, he can be rightly acknowledged alongside Javed Miandad and Inzamam-ul-Haq. The next two years will establish his position in the hall of fame.

Now Pakistan prepare for a semi-final against New Zealand, a pleasing outcome considering their outstanding record against the Kiwis in major tournaments. Pakistan will be confident that they have sufficient force to overwhelm New Zealand, although the toss could play a decisive factor and again favour the side bowling first.

It's hard to allow for such a lottery but Mohammad Asif's return gives Pakistan the option of playing an extra pace bowler. Asif started gingerly but reminded us why his star rose so quickly. Yes, his double-wicket over was a throwback to his first stab at international cricket. But his ability to combine a high delivery arm with a penetrating line and length make him the bowler he is and more than compensate for his low 80s pace. He misfired more than he usually would but the metronome was in sufficient evidence to encourage his captain and supporters.

The semi-final will offer a further opportunity to judge the health of Pakistan's middle order, especially if Pakistan bat first. If they do so, they might want to consider using their last batting Powerplay before the final five overs. Pakistan's strategy has long been built on an assualt in the final ten overs. Why not take the final Powerplay from the 40th over or even the 35th?

	One major effect of a Javed Miandad innings was that he would urge the best from his partners © Getty Images

As Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Yousuf built their unhurried partnership on Saturday, my mind went back to Javed Miandad sneaking singles at will during the middle overs. It is a discipline that he mastered and executed consistently as Pakistan built their reputation in one-day cricket in the 1980s and early 1990s. Now Mohammad Yousuf perfectly played the Miandad role in Pakistan's victory, and proved his critics wrong - including me - in the process.

Miandad's success was not simply down to his brilliance in the role. For his early career he was a dasher capable of throwing away his wicket with the adrenaline rush of over confidence. In later years, he banished recklessness from his repertoire. Moreover, he played the pivotal innings for Pakistan with the regularity of a metronome. One major effect of a Miandad innings was that he would urge the best from his partners, coaching them throughout their stay in the middle. He also did his best to upset the opposition.

Yousuf has the technique to fulfil this role for today's Pakistan. But upto now he has failed to deliver consistently when it has mattered. His match-winning partnership with Malik offers a glimpse of what he might be able to offer in this post-ICL stage of his career. If he can consistently make a difference in this way, allow others to play around him while he rotates the strike, he will turn his sharpest critics in his favour.

Pakistan have a beautifully balanced bowling attack that will make them competitive in almost any encounter. When the senior batsmen perform as they did against India, Younis Khan's dreams of lifting trophies become much more real.

	Mohammad Yousuf has the ability to prove any critic wrong © AFP

Earlier this year, India and Pakistan played out a 'warm up' at the Twenty20 World Cup. It had the atmosphere of a final. These old rivals have also tussled in South Africa in major tournaments, the close encounters of the 2007 World T20 being the most exciting. Yet perhaps the match of greatest importance was the 2003 World Cup clash at Centurion Park, a defeat that marked the end of an era.

For well over a decade, Pakistan had held the upper hand and approached a must-win match with a team full of the modern legends of Pakistan cricket. Unfortunately, that tournament was the twilight of the idols. India, meanwhile, were beginning to flex their muscles as a formidable international force. When the braggard Shoaib Akhtar steamed in expecting to demolish Sachin Tendulkar's defences, the little master smote him to the boundary and beyond. In that moment, Pakistan were vanquished and South Asia's baton of supremacy passed eastwards.

In the intervening years, India's cricketers have outplayed Pakistan's, while their adminstrators have given their Pakistani counterparts a sound thrashing. Clearly, the turmoil around and within Pakistan's borders has made the PCB's task difficult, although the PCB's inadequacies have also been a major contributor to the fragile state of Pakistan cricket.

Now Younis Khan's team approaches this Champions Trophy contest with a hint of momentum, and the confidence of World T20 Champions. Despite India being weakened, Pakistan will start as underdogs, which will help them. Importantly, they have avoided a potential banana skin on a difficult track against West Indies, however unconvincingly.

India have also indulged in some pre-tournament nonsense with Gary Kirsten's sex dossier urging the Indian players to indulge often, and even single-handedly, to build testosterone levels. A quick search of Google Scholar provides no reliable evidence that sex can boost testosterone levels sufficiently to enhance performance. The evidence on going "solo" is non existent. It's a study that might be difficult to conduct as most top sportsmen probably want to keep their nocturnal shenanigans to themselves. Either way, India's opponents will take great pleasure in the sledging opportunites that been showered upon them.

As ever, Pakistan supporters have no expectation that their team has a secret dossier of any kind. More importantly, they have no idea what to expect from their team but the focus of debate is around selection. The easiest one to deal with is Mohammad Asif. It would be nonsensical to introduce him at this stage, which means it's hard to see why he would be selected at all in this tournament. A couple of years ago, this young man carried the hopes of Pakistan's bowling fortunes. A privileged position that he threw away through his own stupidity.

Asif is immensely fortunate to be back in international cricket. He is also immensely short of match practice, something the Pakistan team management chose not to correct in the build up to this tournament. What's more, the Pakistan attack has a settled look to it and a balance that should suit most surfaces, especially Centurion Park.

The trickier decision is who should Younis Khan replace, assuming he remains fit? First, Younis has to play, He is captain and leader. That leaves Imran Nazir, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Yousuf, and Misbah-ul-Haq. Nazir must play too. He is the only opener in Pakistan's squad and has a destructive ability that can swing any match. I'd play Malik for his ability to lay a firm foundation but also mount an assault. He is also a sixth bowling option and a reliable fielder.

I'd also play Misbah. He is a more natural one-day player than Yousuf and despite his recent form I'd back him to marshall the lower order better than his more illustrious colleague. In truth, I'm not sure what Yousuf's role is in the one-day team? He is the weakest fielder amongst the batsmen, and his real value is in Test cricket rather than in the limited-overs variety. It's touching that Pakistan are patiently welcoming him back into the bosom of the one-day team but wouldn't it be better to back a younger, hungrier man, a player for the future? Is Yousuf a realistic candidate for the next World Cup?

Of course, Yousuf has the ability to prove any critic wrong but the signals from Younis are that he wants to leave a legacy, a formidable group to take Pakistan cricket onwards after his retirement. In that case, he needs to identify some new batting heroes, other than Umar Akmal, and he must find them quickly.

	Shahid Afridi was impressive in his stint as captain © Getty Images

As it turned out West Indies aptly demonstrated why their cricket requires resuscitation. A weak team requires all the help it can get, and that help ended the moment West Indies won the toss. Pakistan should also pay close attention to the pitiful state of West Indian cricket. A few more wrong calls by cricket adminstators and Pakistan could be hurtling to join Bangladesh, West Indies, and Zimbabwe in the bottom echelon of the international game.

Good fortune apart, Pakistan can take some heart from this encounter. The bowlers were outstanding, bowling with excellent control to extract maximum bounce and movement from an unsusally helpful track. Umar Gul and Mohammad Aamer are becoming formidable, while Rana Naved looks in better shape and form than prior to his ICL flirtation.

But two other performances fascinated me more. First, Shahid Afridi has been an eager captain short of opportunities. A previous outing leading the 'A' team suggested that captaincy was beyond him. Nonetheless, Afridi has focused his energy and his mind to become a responsible cricketer. Individual success, as ever with Afridi, has settled him, and his captaincy was refreshing for his encouragement of his young charges and his aggressive approach as Pakistan sensed a rout. This began as an easy day at the office but Afridi excelled when the going was easy and knuckled down when the tough needed to get going.

It was, however, Umar Akmal who added most to his reputation. A stunning entry on familiar tracks has been seen before. Many Pakistani batsmen have thundered into town only to be shot down by the first serious challenge. Umar came through a tricky situation on an unhelpful track, which is a sign that he may have the right mentality to blossom. Clearly, he has a long way to go but all Pakistan fans will be excited to see how he performs against stronger opposition.

Pakistan are now well placed in the group, one good win away from a semi final. India and Australia are both strong but beatable. Once more, Pakistan's bowling offers hope that the team can be competitive while the batting remains a worry, although Younis Khan will be back to strengthen the top order.

Now for the big one.

	For Younis Khan's team, this tournament matters © Getty Images

Pak Spin has been taking a break, gathering itself for a season of cricket. In the absence of cricket, the controversies that regularly engulf the Pakistan team usually escalate. Now this may just be the natural order of things. It may be trouble makers in the media. It may be players, ex-cricketers, officials, or politicians with a career to promote or an axe to grind. I've chosen to stay out of those zones of misery for the past month. I've also been taking a break. Sometimes bloggers need to give everybody a break as well.

But cricketing matters are now genuinely upon us. The Champions Trophy is generally lambasted as an irrelevance, an unwanted dessert after a binge meal. Pakistan cricketers and fans will not share that view. For Younis Khan's team, this tournament matters. It will be a barometer of Pakistan's rehabilitation as a serious international cricket nation.

We were all surprised and delighted by the T20 victory and its manner--and rightly so. But the subsequent tour of Sri Lanka showed that the longer formats require greater readjustment. This is no fault of Pakistan's players. External circumstances have robbed them of series after series of international cricket. Their domestic structure and cricket board infrastructure is unsuitable to deliver the preparation that is required to compete at the highest level. For the World T20 Champions, the Champions Trophy will be a stern examination.

Nonetheless, there are many positives for Pakistan going into the tournament. They have a fullish season of international cricket planned, which is unlikely to be disrupted. A season that will include contests against Australia, England, and India is always mouth watering for Pakistan supporters. Important ICL players have been welcomed back. As has Mohammad Asif, whose selection will invite controversy but acute interest. And Pakistan are beginning to assemble a settled nucleus of players under a leader who is in full command thanks to the T20 victory--a sharp contrast to the start of the last Champions Trophy.

Indeed, Younis Khan has set his side the right objectives: winning a World Cup and a Champions Trophy. These are tough challenges. A 50 overs match is a much less forgiving examination than a T20 encounter. The summit of Test cricket is further off still. Still, these one day milestones are exactly what Pakistan should be aiming for.

Achieving one of them this time round will be tough. Pakistan have traditionally performed badly in one-day cricket in South Africa, the 2003 World Cup disaster being a perfect example. Pakistan's players, as good as they can be, remain short of top level cricket. And their usual slow start will not be tolerated as there are no minnows in this tournament. The tough matches are immediate.

Although anything can happen in a short snappy one-day tournament, Pakistan will be pushed to win this one. Supporters will, however, expect the team to be competitive. The label of World T20 Champions will bring some pressure but hopefully some pride too. For me, we're at the beginning of a new era for Pakistan cricket. It will be a nomadic, often difficult time, but it is a period that will require wise leadership, long-term strategies, and a large supply of patience.

	The cricket boards of Australia, England, and New Zealand have always painted Pakistan and Pakistani cricket in the worst possible light © AFP

Let's be clear: the chances of the next edition of the Champions Trophy taking place in Pakistan are next to nothing. The political compromise crafted in words by the ICC is a cover for the international blockade of Pakistan as a venue by cricket's traditional powers. The rift in international cricket, between old and new, is alive and well. India's economic might protects it from any possible backlash from the ancient powers of Australia and England, but Pakistan is a softer, easier target.

Indeed, the rise of money in international cricket means that cricketers and cricket boards can turn their noses up at an inconvenient tour of Pakistan, knowing that it will little damage their careers or their bank accounts. The campaign against touring Pakistan has been a cynical and hysterical drama based on spook stories and vivid imaginations.

Playing international cricket in Pakistan remains safe, just as it was a month ago when the Asia Cup was played there, and just as it was last year when South Africa toured. What remains unsafe, however, is the pretext upon which cricket boards have chosen to marginalise Pakistan. Cricket boards should have sent players willing to tour Pakistan and take the chance of furthering their careers.

The behaviour of the cricket boards of Australia, England, and New Zealand is no surprise. All three have always painted Pakistan and Pakistani cricket in the worst possible light, an attitude that has stemmed from their fundamental misunderstanding and suspicion of a culture that they little understand. A bomb in Karachi, by their bizarre calculus, is far more threatening to international cricketers than a bomb in Mumbai or London.

If their tunnel vision is unsurprising, then the response of the cricket boards of South Africa and West Indies is a bitter disappointment. In matters of personal safety, both countries are ill placed to preach to others. On the contrary, West Indian cricket has a long tradition of solidarity with the Asian cricket boards. Meanwhile, South Africa has a pivotal position in drawing together rich and poor worlds, a leadership role that it has failed in over Zimbabwe and now Pakistan.

But this lowest point in the history of Pakistan cricket is not entirely the responsibility of cricket's old and confused powers. The Pakistan Cricket Board has to accept equal share of the blame. Pakistan's cricket team is nowhere in international rankings, an unattractive side to host or visit. The board's unprofessional approach to managing players and processes gives the impression of a cricket structure in chaos.

The greatest failing, however, is Pakistan's unattractiveness as a venue for cricket--and here I don't mean the availability of alcohol, bacon butties, or nightclubs. The experience of playing cricket in Pakistan has to become an exciting one, with matches played on sporting tracks with lush outfields in front of packed crowds. International sport has moved a long way from being simply a sport, as the Olympics have reaffirmed. Top international sport now has to be a memorable experience for players and spectators to be viable. Cricket in Pakistan is a hard slog for all involved.

These failings of Pakistan cricket should not have been enough for the Champions Trophy to be postponed, but they are subjective impressions of a country and its cricket that inevitably will have influenced individual cricketers and made them reluctant to tour.

Pakistan cricket must rebuild from this lowest point. Yes, it is hard for sport to thrive in a struggling society but a formula must be found to rejuvenate Pakistan cricket and elevate it to the standards now expected of international sport. This responsibility for rejuvenation lies with Pakistan's new political leaders and they should understand the power of sport to unite peoples and provinces.

At the same time, the ICC must immediately address the issue of the future of international cricket in Pakistan. A major cricketing country is being isolated by irrational decision making. The PCB's call for clarity around the security measures required is a step in the right direction but it is only a small step. The concerned cricket boards must now commit to a structured return to Pakistan, which might begin with A team tours and short series to rebuild confidence and eliminate suspicion.

Above all, the current crisis reminds us that an international sport that relies on a small number of competing nations at the highest level is a sport that will always be at the mercy of powerful groups or even individuals.

International cricket is at a troubling stage in its evolution and its current leaders seem to favour shows of compromise over making tough decisions. The tough--but right--decision would have been for all boards to have agreed to the Champions Trophy taking place in Pakistan as scheduled. This is a precedent that international cricket may wish it had never set. It is certainly a decision that dumps Pakistan cricket at the lowest point in its cricket history.

	The PCB and the Pakistan Government must do everything in their power to address the concerns of the international community and make the tournament a security success. © AFP

1 The ICC was right to support Pakistan's hosting of the Champions Trophy. Cricket should not be held hostage to unrelated incidents. As Haroon Lorgat pointed out, the reality is different to the perception.

2 It is also right that players concerned about their own security should be able to decline any tour or tournament without penalty other than the risk that their place might be taken by somebody else.

3 Three detailed arguments against the tour have emerged from the ECB. These are either inaccurate or they can be dealt with easily. The PCB and ICC need to tackle them head on and fast.

4 Argument one: Level of vehicular access to grounds. The PCB and Pakistan Government could easily offer to implement a car-free zone. It's hard to know why they wouldn't?

5 Argument two: No road clearance for player transport. Again, the PCB and Pakistan Government could make this happen.

6 Argument three: Females not subject to the same search as males. There is no issue with female security staff conducting a thorough search of female spectators.

7 This year's Champions Trophy has become a critical test of the unity of international cricket and the wisdom of administrators. Above all, the PCB and the Pakistan Government must do everything in their power to address the concerns of the international community and make the tournament a security success.

Pakistan left the Champions Trophy with dishonour today. While nobody expects Pakistan to win every game or every tournament, what is expected is that professional cricketers representing their country will show some spine. The Mohali pitch was an unfriendly Eid present from the local groundsman but it cannot entirely excuse the pitiful showing from Pakistan's batsmen. What is supposed to distinguish international cricketers from the rest of us is that they have the eye and the technique to handle even the most trying conditions. Pakistan's batsmen have shown again that unless they are playing on a straight up and down track they are the world's biggest bunnies.

This ineptitude has to end. On difficult, and particularly bouncy, pitches like Perth and this year's Old Trafford track Pakistan do not have the technique to hold out. Pakistan will inevitably blame the pitch, and they will have a case, but that does not escape the fact that because Pakistani batsmen crumble when the ball rumbles they remain some distance from conquering Australia and South Africa, destinations that are must wins on the road to world domination.

A miserable first tournament in charge was made worse by personal failure for Younis Khan. There were also some holes in his captaincy. It was mind boggling that on a pitch made for seam and South Africa reeling, Pakistan bowled so many overs of spin and Umar Gul and Yasir Arafat failed to bowl out. Admittedly, Yasir's first spell was too short but a wise and persuasive captain would have coaxed a second, fuller spell out of him. Gul, on the other hand, bowled only one bad ball--a ludicrously bad one--and there was no excuse for him not to complete his spell.

This Champions Trophy has confirmed two suspicions. First, Inzamam is as essential as ever to this Pakistani middle order, especially when the going gets tough. It will be a relief to see him back against West Indies. Second, if Pakistan are to have any chance of winning the World Cup they will require Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif--or at least one of them--to lead the bowling attack. Ethically you might imagine that there is no chance of that happening but the Pakistan Cricket Board isn't known for its ethical purity.

Ultimately, as mercurial as Pakistan are, the mayhem of the last few weeks was simply too much to overcome. Nobody wants Pakistan cricket to become sterile, the South Africa of South Asia. We still want the flair, the threat of something brilliant. But my conclusion, and the lesson of the last 14 years, is that for that flair and that brilliance to thrill us and produce results Pakistan's cricketers require stable and sensible administration, management, and leadership. Above all, they need to learn how to fight like their lives depend on it.

Some commentators have dismissed the Champions Trophy as a meaningless jamboree but the encounter between Pakistan and Sri Lanka was as emotionally charged as any match Pakistan have ever played. The heat was on Younis Khan but he didn't fry thanks to a stunning batting display from Abdul Razzaq and a catching blunder by Sri Lanka's Dilshan.

Razzaq, the ex vice-captain, put in a captain's performance with bat and ball and Younis, the ex dummy captain, put in a yummy performance that showcased his natural leadership skills, obvious in his enthusiasm, energy, and positivity.

It was always going to take an outstanding perfromance to cool Sri Lanka's red-hot streak and Pakistan managed that with a composed chase under lights. The Razzler razzle-dazzled but the pursuit was steered by sensible knocks from Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Malik, and given an early thrust by Mohammad Hafeez and Imran Farhat.

In the absence of their two best bowlers Pakistan will still struggle to win this tournament but more of this positive approach and India's batsman-friendly wickets could still carry Younis Khan's team a long way.

This was a tremendous team performance and Younis and Bob Woolmer must take the credit for that. Many of Younis's disillusioned supporters will have only now begun to forgive him. Continue like this and he could be pardoned just as enthusiastically as he was damned.