It can only be a matter of time before Shoaib Malik's captaincy is exposed again and he loses his job © AFP

Barack Obama may steal the headlines around the world tomorrow but in Pakistan he will have to share them with cricket. With the dearth of internationals in 2008, the series against Sri Lanka has the feel of a new beginning.

The players are much the same but Pakistan cricket is now run by ex-cricketers who have a genuine passion for quality and success. They want change and believe that they can make it happen. Messrs Miandad, Qadir, and Sohail should - and probably do - realise that if they fail Pakistan cricket may never recover. To me, this new beginning carries the threat of a last chance.

Shoaib Malik's team go into another series with familiar question marks over the consistency and quality of the batsmen, and howling criticisms over Malik's captaincy. But the word from the Pakistan camp is that the spirit amongst the administration is good and the big egos are aligned.

Sri Lanka, the saviours of Pakistan cricket's fixtures and finances, will be less generous in battle. The duel threat of efficiency and mystery will sorely test Pakistan's patience. Reports about the state of Karachi's pitch give Sri Lanka more confidence than Pakistan, whose rustiness should mean that a series triumph will be a genuine surprise for Malik and his men.

Yet the public expectation and attention will be such that any failure is likely to be judged harshly. My own view is that the selectors made a fundamental mistake in not taking this opportunity to replace Malik. It can only be a matter of time before his captaincy is exposed again and he loses his job. A new beginning, with so much hanging on it, deserved the right leadership on the field.

Nonetheless, this is a time for a minor celebration. Cricket is back in Pakistan, the ex-players in the cricket board are determined to succeed, and the right players might get selected. Now cricketers, administrators, security forces, politicians, and fans have to show the world that Pakistan can be a vibrant and essential venue for international cricket.

	Nineteen-year-old Umar Amin may be at the beginning of an uncertain journey, but unknown young players bring a special fascination. © Sohail Abbas

This week's England controversy was an amusing one for Pakistan fans. I'm unconvinced by the argument that Kevin Pietersen had to go because his views were leaked by the media, especially as he does seem to have had the support of much of the England team. Imagine Pakistan players being sacked, forced to resign, or disciplined each time their views were leaked to the media? There wouldn't be a player left to select.

Nonetheless, the ECB managed to perform a decent impression of the PCB by turning a containable scandal into a gargantuan crisis, unsettling the team, and losing a promising captain.

Meanwhile the new PCB has made an effort to bring back the old days, good and bad. The bad is reverting to some really old timers, like Intikhab Alam and Yawar Saeed. Indeed, the nonsensical media ban--a virtual impossibility in our media-driven age--has all the hallmarks of a Yawar Saeed strategy. Furthermore, how Intikhab negotiates the fierce opinions of Javed Miandad, Abdul Qadir, and Aamir Sohail must be a wonder to behold.

The good is that the selectors are backing pace again. Pakistan cricket's success in the 1980s and 1990s was based on the abilities of its fast bowlers, ably supported by an attacking spinner. The batting has ever been unreliable, but the bowlers were capable of making most totals competitive. Pace bowlers also force a captain to attack, which is the preferable mode for the Pakistan team.

Umar Amin's selection is another throwback. One of the thrills of Pakistan cricket was that a talented rookie would be selected from obscurity. Let's hope Amin can revive a tradition that has been lost in this decade. He may be at the beginning of an uncertain journey, but unknown players bring a special fascination.

If nothing else, Pakistan's adminstrators, cricketers, and fans will have been relieved that another cricket nation has played out a pointless drama of Pakistani proportions. For one week, at least, England are the new Pakistan.

	Miandad brings an attitude that will put Pakistan cricket on the offensive © AFP

If you believe Pakistan cricket has recently failed to stand up for itself, expect all that to change. While you might question the CVs of Javed Miandad, Abdul Qadir, and Aamer Sohail for their respective roles, you cannot doubt their passion for the success of Pakistan cricket. In these troubled times, a little passion might go a long way towards breathing some fire into the bellies of Pakistan's cricketers.

Miandad's selection as Director-General is an unexpected one. Apart from some uncertainty about the role itself, Miandad could never be classified as an administrator. Yet he brings an attitude that will put Pakistan cricket on the offensive. He has already suggested that the ban on ICL players is unacceptable--a typical Miandad skirmish. Expect more.

Now that Pakistan cricket has a viable neutral venue to host international cricket--and the possibility of adding England to its list of hosts--the PCB can afford to be more bullish in negotiations with other cricket boards, the ICC, and broadcasters.

This means that the new chairman of selectors will have sufficient international fixtures to implement his strategy. Abdul Qadir is a fascinating choice for this position. I have no doubt that it is a role that he has wished for. Qadir has strong opinions and a fiery temperament but he is a man of integrity and independent minded.

I expect a turn for the better in Pakistan's selection policy. Call it misplaced optimisim but Qadir will only do what he believes to be right for Pakistan cricket, and if he makes mistakes they will be honest ones.

Aamer Sohail, as head of the National Academy, completes a trio of belligerent stalwarts. Sohail made some mistakes in his stint as chairman of selectors, most notably continuing his commentating job and selecting the son of the cricket board chairman. But he will have learned from those errors of judgement and he deserves another opportunity to demonstrate his genuine commitment to Pakistan cricket.

Putting Sohail in charge of the National Academy may turn out to be an inspired move, as he can begin to shape Pakistan's emerging and future international cricketers, and instil a sense of pride and familiarity with discipline.

It is easy to be optimistic in the beginning but successful change will take months, if not years. Yet I prefer three fighters to further the cause of Pakistan cricket than of some of the insipid characters we have had to endure in the recent past. The two biggest challenges they will face, however, are finding a captain who will match their combativeness, and making sure that they don't end up fighting each other.

Can they do it?

	The thrill of Imran Nazir's century for the Lahore Badshahs in the third final of the ICL was hard to match © ICL

Two small ripples in world cricket were earth shaking in this solemn year for Pakistan cricket. The prospect of seeing one Pakistan team in action has been unlikely enough but like Lahore rickshaws on Mall Road, two came along at once.

In the end, it was tough to decide which victory was more satisfying? A three-nil sweep of West Indies signalled that the official Pakistan team might have some fight in it yet, even if that fight is on foreign shores. Meanwhile, Pakistan's administrative exiles, the Lahore Badshahs, reminded us why Pakistan cricket had become known for its random brilliance.

For me, the thrill of Imran Nazir's century was hard to match, and the joy on his face tipped the balance in favour of the Badshahs. Nazir was once predicted a bright future by Viv Richards. That future never materialised but his record-breaking innings reminded us why King Viv was fooled like the rest of us.

Indeed, Nazir looked a different player, determined to make the most of his opportunity. An observation that mirrored the mood of his former teammates in Abu Dhabi. All of this, led me to two conclusions. First, that the exclusion of the ICL from offiicial cricket and the punishment of cricketers is an international disgrace and evidence of moral bankruptcy in cricket administration. But that's always been my view on the ICL. Second, that Pakistan's poverty of cricket in 2008 might have reminded its cricketers to make the most of every opportunity. Now, that was unexpected.

It's been a barren few months. While India has stormed to the top of world cricket, Pakistan has almost been blasted out of it. In the course of those mad months, Pakistan has not only lost any hope of hosting regular international cricket, but it has also lost two of its most precious stars, Mohammads Yousuf and Asif.

These are deep, perhaps irreperable wounds, made more painful by a self-destructing start from Pakistan's new cricket administration. Ejaz Butt and Intikhab Alam might excite the sweet sellers of Pakistan but they do little to sweeten the vast majority of Pakistan cricket fans.

Yet, where there is life there is hope. And Pakistan meander back onto the international stage today, forced to relaunch their international programme on neutral territory. I don't care. It's great to see Pakistan's team back in proper international competition. They will thrill and disappoint in equal measure. They will lose as much as they will win. But we can gladly return to some cricketing drama because we've had our fill of the political and administrative catastrophe.

Pakistan's cricketers often play like millionaires, rash strokes and wild deliveries produced with such regularity that they might have been practising them. In this tournament they will be rusty, and the verdict may depend on the hunger of the newly-made millionaires in the West Indian team.

For once, though, the result matters less than the symbolism. Welcome back boys.

	True, it is hard to say that Geoff Lawson succeeded, but it is equally hard to say that he has failed © AFP

The stats speak for themselves: Pakistan haven't played a single Test match this year. In these circumstances you might wonder how the coach could have failed. But failed he has, according to the scapegoat logic of the new Pakistan Cricket Board regime. True, it is hard to say that Geoff Lawson succeeded, but it is equally hard to say that he has failed. The evidence is insufficient for either argument to be tenable. Hence, the treatment of Lawson is one of the most diabolical chapters in the painful modern history of Pakistan cricket.

If that wasn't enough, his replacement is likely to be Intikhab Alam, a man whose coaching days ended before many of the current generation of Pakistan fans were born. Indeed, how much he "coached" in the modern sense is open to question. Turning to Alam is a further sign that the PCB is without imaginative solutions, and without any understanding of what today's professional sports administration requires.

Whenever I raise such concerns, a few readers are invariably offended by this negative view of Pakistan cricket. My answer to them and the Lords of the PCB is do something that makes us think you know what you are doing and we will give you a break. But first of all, you need to give Pakistan fans some respite from this unending deluge of miserable decision making.

	PCB chairmen, including Ijaz Butt, seem to forget that in our web 2.0 society, every utterance is broadcast around the planet in milliseconds © AFP

A particularly worrying prognostic factor has been the desire of a new chairman to share each half-baked opinion with the peoples of the world.

PCB chairmen seem to forget that in our web 2.0 society, every utterance is broadcast around the planet in milliseconds. Perhaps I misjudge these men of verbal diarrhoea? They are probably doing it deliberately to extract every morsel of attention that they can from us dumbstruck souls.

Mr Butt's start has been especially troublesome. Despite some early hopes that he might have the nous to fix a fractured organisation, his instant explosion of revelations and judgements suggests that wisdom, integrity, and discretion are not his idea of how to rebuild Pakistan cricket.

The most disturbing announcement is the decision not to renew Geoff Lawson's contract. Without doubt, Lawson has taken on the coaching role at a time when the PCB is in greatest disarray and the team's captaincy and spirit is most feeble. To judge Lawson in these circumstances is nonsensical. To publicly denounce Lawson many months before his contract is ended is illogical, insensitive, and ill-advised.

Mr Butt may be right in certain of his actions, such as investigating the financial irregularities of the previous regime, but it would be best for Pakistan cricket if he could bring himself to button it.

	Choose a venue that can produce compelling cricket, vibrant crowds, and an essential educational experience for Pakistan's cricketers © AFP

Hence, Pakistan must embrace neutral venues for countries unwilling to travel there.

The second question, however, is where to play. The dustbowls of the Gulf create a depressing, energy-sapping version of Test cricket that is no advancement on playing in Pakistan.

Why not turn adversity into opportunity?

Choose a venue that can produce compelling cricket, vibrant crowds, and an essential educational experience for Pakistan's cricketers. Choose a venue that offers cricket when other teams will be available to rearrange cancelled series, and will relish the experience. Choose a venue that could turn the PCB from villains to heroes.

I'm with Giles Clarke. Pakistan should choose the English option.

	While Pakistan cricket needs India, India, in turn, has to nurture Pakistan cricket © AFP

Pak Spin has been quiet. I make no apology for the present melancholy that I feel for Pakistan cricket. Yes, there are bigger issues gripping Pakistan but our brief here is to discuss and debate cricket. There has never been a more threatening time for the game in Pakistan, and the Marriott bombing has changed the whole complexion of the crisis.

Over the next few weeks, I propose to cover the main issues that Pakistan cricket must grapple with, allowing Pakistan cricket lovers to suggest their solutions to the critical problems that Pakistan's politicians, administrators, and cricketers are facing. We may not win the hearts and minds of suicide bombers or international cricketers. We may not change the future of Pakistan cricket. But we will be heard, as Cricinfo offers the most visible forum in the world of cricket.

The first issue will perturb some Pakistan fans but it is inescapable: The future of Pakistan cricket lies in the hands of India.

A couple of weeks ago, shortly after the Marriott bombing, the PCB announced that India would be touring Pakistan. There was no need for this announcement and it was a needless public relations exercise. But it built upon the support that India has extended to Pakistan in recent times.

Clearly, power politics are at play. India may be the dominant financial force in international cricket but it still requires the support of its friends in ICC meetings.

Nonetheless, India has helped Pakistan through various crises since the Darrell Hair incident, with the most recent being its resistance to the Champions Trophy being moved from Pakistan. This was shortly after India helped ensure that the Asia Cup was held in Pakistan.

The rest of the cricketing world dances to India's tune. Everything involving India has become bigger, better, and more important than anything that preceded it. All Pakistan can do is hang on to its neighbour's kurta, as India's tours to Pakistan will be by far the biggest spectacle that Pakistan cricket can expect to host for some time to come.

India, then, is Pakistan's lifeline to regaining a full international itinerary. But it is important for India to nurture Pakistan too. The thrill of India, Australia, England, Sri Lanka, and South Africa playing each other will eventually be diminished by familiarity. The irony of cricket's attempt at globalisation is that the cricket world has shrunk. West Indies, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, and Kenya have taken huge strides backwards. It is an indictment of an international sport if the major nations can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

Hence, the pull of India's rivalry with Pakistan may have weakened but it will become compelling again, provided that Pakistan cricket can find a method of regrouping and reviving its strength in these days of darkness.

More of that in the coming weeks, but for now Pakistan cricket is lucky to have India on its side.

	'Pakistan can show they are a re-emerging force by consistently succeeding against Sri Lanka and India over the next few weeks' © AFP

Pakistan's surprise victory in the Kitply Cup brought a shallow sigh of relief and a brief inhalation of oxygen. Angry emails, drug scandals, and terrorist threats have all, however, hinted at further suffocation for Pakistan cricket.

While the world kicks on to a Twenty20 Nirvana, Pakistan cricket is struggling for quality, allies, and a seat at the Champions League table. The cricketers and their fans need a break from misfortune and the Asia Cup offers a perfect opportunity, even though it is timed for the murderous heat of Pakistan's summer

Today's statement that Pakistan may take England's place in the tournament typically serves to confuse as much as it clarifies. The Pakistan Cricket Board chairman has been claiming that Pakistan has a certain spot in the Champions League but today's announcement suggests significant uncertainty. It is hard to understand how Pakistan has come to be disenfranchised when it had been one of the countries initially pencilled in to participate in the Champions League?

The reality that faces Pakistan cricket is that to be desirable on the international stage you need to be either a high-quality team or an attractive place to tour, preferably both. Currently, Pakistan cricket can boast neither of these offerings, which is why the Asia Cup has bizarrely become a pivotal tournament in the history of Pakistan cricket. Karachi's prominence as a venue offers extra significance.

Pakistan can show they are a re-emerging force by consistently succeeding against Sri Lanka and India over the next few weeks. This will be difficult as both are accomplished one-day teams and Pakistan will have some of their best pace bowlers missing. Yet success--as unlikely as it seems at this point--will lend some legitimacy to the partnership of Malik and Geoff Lawson.

More importantly, a smooth, well supported, and trouble free tournament will confirm Pakistan's right to stage the Champions Trophy. This has to be the major strategic objective for the Pakistan Cricket Board, because the many sceptics in the international cricket community will be looking for any hint of trouble to urge relocation of the tournament.

The summer heat will be fierce but no less fierce than the pressure on Pakistan cricket during this low-rating, needlessly long tournament. On such trivialities can fortunes, careers, and reputations be made and lost.

Can Pakistan cricket pass its nadir?

	Younis Khan: fatigue or pique? © AFP

Today, a reader sent me a message arguing that it is my social responsibility to start a new thread on Younis Khan, as cricket fans are poised to comment on his extraordinary withdrawal from the current series. An excuse of fatigue is hard to believe. A fit of pique (at the visit by the anti-corruption unit) would be more in character. A statement explaining that he is tired of playing the world's less challenging teams might be understandable. An expression of irritation at Shoaib Malik's captaincy would play to the gallery.

You decide.

Instead, I'm using Younis Khan to highlight a different point. An observation that is reinforced by the presence of two Pakistan XIs in action simultaneously. It is further emphasised by the enigma of Shoaib Akhtar. Once upon a time, Pakistan cricket had more big time players than little piddling ones. Since Inzamam's retirement, Mohammad Yousuf is the only player that will genuinely merit comparison with the top players of the past.

Younis is an erratic and temperamental talent. Shoaib Akhtar and Shahid Afridi could be described in the same way. The rest are a talented bunch yet to cut it when it really matters or show enough depth to be deemed irreplaceable. And there are so many of these superficial stars that we now have two teams of them: one battering Bangladesh and the other humbled by lightweight Indias and World XIs.

Look across these two teams and tell me how many players can be judged to have had satisfying international careers? Yet you will not disagree that therein lie buckets of talent, possibly even thimbles of genius, a catalogue of might-have-beens and what-ifs. Mohammad Asif is the one exception, but injury and injudicious supplement taking have ruined the honeymoon. The rest are superficial stars, promising much delivering sporadically. This is what Pakistan cricket has become, and the breadth of the failure implies the failure of a system.

Now, some readers would like me to move off this theme and start talking up the state of Pakistan cricket and its cricketers. Applaud the PCB for its wonderful stewardship of what was once a national treasure. But what can you really say about comprehensive victories over Bangladesh on flat tracks? Should we hail Salman Butt as the next Saeed Anwar, Shoaib Malik as the new Imran Khan, and Kamran Akmal as the inheritor of Adam Gilchrist? Should we congratulate Dr Ashraf for ensuring the boys get some cricket and win a few games?

All we can really say is that the malaise in Pakistan cricket is a chronic one. It began when the team was at its strongest in the 1990s and has only intermittently been reversed since, such as briefly inspirational spells in the long rule of Wasim Akram and the short period of unity between Inzamam and Bob Woolmer.

New administrations talk long-term strategies and walk quick fixes. The current administration is no different. Only two years ago, Inzy and The Bob had engineered Pakistan into a fight for the second spot in world cricket. Since then, the decline has been quick and distasteful.

What to do with a system that has consistently failed? There is little point in sweating blood to make it work better. It won't. The answer lies in a new system, a whole new approach. And for that the politicians in Pakistan must cut the cricket board free of political rule, appoint an interim administration of independent professionals to revamp the governance and operations of the cricket board, and then appoint a new cricket board of individuals benchmarked against the skills and experience of administrators in the best run cricket boards.

It will take high-quality people, protected by robust governance, to restore the fortunes of Pakistan cricket. The process has to begin now and the change in government offers an ideal opportunity. Pakistan cricket needs to decide if it is happy to continue with its quick-fix production line of superficial stars or whether it is willing to commit to a fundamental rethink of its cricket administration so that it can begin to invest in a more meaningful future?

	Adil Raza's opening spell tore apart the Australian top order in the U-19 semi-finals. But unlike his predecessors, will he make it to the next level? © Getty Images

Pakistan might stumble in this U19 World Cup or they might make it a hat-trick, either way they have done enough again for that annoying question to become even more annoying. What is going on? if we accept that bone scans and better record-keeping ensure that over-age players do not distort the results of this fascinating competition, we also have to accept that there is a rich seam of talent that the Pakistani cricket system fails to develop properly.

It might indeed be too much to expect to find a Javed Miandad or a Wasim Akram at every tournament but it is equally inconceivable that Pakistan can be so successful at two, now three, successive tournaments and fail to find a single genuine new star. An acceptable explanation would be the success of the national team, and we know how feeble that would be as an explanation.

Many a trip, then, betwixt winning an U19 World Cup winners medal and making it to first slip in the national team. The trips are too consistent to be blamed on individuals and are another indictment of a national cricket system that only succeeds in dashing hopes and expectations.

	The change that Malik has to make is that, whatever his form, he must stamp his authority on the team and discard any inhibitions he might have over his leadership role © AFP

In many ways the difference in fortunes is reflected by the difference in leadership. Mahendra Dhoni and Anil Kumble have assumed their roles in reassuring fashion, inspiring more senior and more celebrated colleagues respectively to outstanding performances. India's batting remains strong but the bowling remains raw, hence progress was not a given.

Across the border, Shoaib Malik has flattered to deceive. Pakistan, with out of form unsettled batsmen and injured bowlers, might have more rebuilding to do yet their achievements since the Twenty20 World Cup have still been a disappointment. The best batting order remains something of a mystery and the production line of bowlers might not have dried up but it cannot decide which is this year's model.

Above all, Malik has looked too much of a passenger in his own team. The change that Malik has to make, and he has to make it quickly, is that whatever his form, he must stamp his authority on the team and discard any inhibitions he might have over his leadership role. The biggest regret any failed leader can have is that they might not have done things their way.

The Zimbabwe series offers Malik an opportunity to learn how to command but as some bloggers have pointed out, the captaincy is not a learning role. The fans, if not the Pakistan Cricket Board, will quickly run out of patience. Anything but a crushing defeat of Zimbabwe will be unsatisfactory despite Pakistan's correct decision to blood new players.

Young players might provide hope and sporadic brilliance but the burden of Pakistan's resurgence in international cricket rests on the shoulders of its established players. Malik, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Shahid Afridi, Salman Butt, and Misbah ul-Haq must take responsibility for guiding Pakistan to a better future. Misbah apart, responsibility has been an inconsistent trait among these players.

As such, the series should be a victory for Pakistan but its nature is uncertain. Indeed, we will not learn how good Pakistan are during this series although Zimbabwe might expose how bad the hosts can be.

Either way, Pakistan and Zimbabwe better get used to the look of each other. The political upheavals in both countries could mean that these meetings will become a regular occurrence. In that event, Malik might become the most successful captain in Pakistan's history.

	It was disappointing to hear Shoaib Malik insist on the righteousness of his spin strategy. Pakistan's bowling strength lies in pace complemented by spin © Getty Images

This time round both teams had left their bad attitude behind. With a touch of bonhomie to complement their skillful determination South Africa flourished. All credit to Smith for a quick maturation.

Without their bad boy, Pakistan's pace attack was more nullified by the spinning tracks than South Africa's batsmen. Sadly, Pakistan had forgotten some home truths about their own dead wickets. First, you require a bowler of express aerial speed to fully exploit the bounty of reverse swing, an Imran, Waqar, Wasim, or Shoaib. Second, Pakistan don't really possess a spinner who runs amok. Danish Kaneria is an earnest soul but he rarely cuts through a top order like Abdul Qadir, Mushtaq Ahmed, and Saqlain Mushtaq did at their sharpest. Third, with only two pace bowlers you tempt injury and long-term damage.

If Pakistan's bowlers weren't great, the batsmen were even less impressive until the final day. This suboptimal display made Inzamam's final two balls the most memorable performance by any Pakistan batsmen throughout the series. Perhaps Inzamam's contribution would been best remembered whatever the effort from his colleagues?

But Pakistan are a Test team with problems. And the biggest perhaps is mindset. It was disappointing to hear Shoaib Malik insist on the righteousness of his spin strategy. What happened to the PCB's promise of livelier tracks? Pakistan's bowling strength lies in pace complemented by spin.

A further irritation was to hear Pakistan constantly claim that they were finding it hard to adapt to Test cricket after the Twenty20 World Cup. South Africa have endured a similar One-day glut to Pakistan.

Worse still, though, was the initial argument that Pakistan had better back spin because why would they choose wickets that suited the opposition's strengths? A mantra of international sport is that you plan and play to your strengths and not in fear of what the opposition might do to you. That was the first in a series of unfortunate miscalculations that ended with Inzi's crazed dance down the wicket to Paul Harris.

Shoaib Malik is a smart young captain and Geoff Lawson is an equally smart and aggressive young coach. Pakistan will learn but they need to learn fast. This dead-track spin-bowling strategy is a fantasy that has never been realised in Pakistan cricket, and with the bowlers that Pakistan possesses it is unlikely to be realised in a hurry.

	Yes, Afridi was man of the tournament in the ICC World Twenty20, but his batting was a disappointment © AFP

Nonetheless, he has as many critics as he has fans. For a while he threatened to confound his critics with a rare consistency with bat and ball. But something popped in Afridi's brain about 18 months ago and he has never recovered.

First Afridi "retired" from Test cricket, the weight of national expectation had become too burdensome. When he returned, he had developed a worrying reluctance to bat up the order, claiming the he was now focusing on his bowling. This focus has produced distinct improvement but his batting has declined. The reluctance to bat at the top remains, which is a worrying sign for a senior and experienced cricketer who should really be accepting greater responsibility.

Yes, Afridi was man of the tournament in the ICC World Twenty20 but his batting was a disappointment. Now Boom Boom has concluded he cannot fast and play cricket against South Africa. These are not the actions of the champion that his fans have believed him to be.

I, for one, am disappointed with Afridi. I worry that all of this betrays an underlying lack of confidence in his own ability or at least a lack of willingness to apply his mind in the way that the bigger challenges in international cricket require.

Unless Afridi regains his purpose, Pakistan must write him out of their Test script. He cannot command a place as a Test legspinner ahead of Danish Kaneria. Indeed, his real value in all forms of cricket is as an allrounder, and even if he sees himself as a bowling allrounder he must not ignore the fact that batting is an important element of his role. Concentrating on bowling is an insufficient excuse for an allrounder to neglect his batting.

Afridi, hero of millions, must rethink his approach. His descent down the batting order is alarming. His reluctance to play Test cricket is worrying. If he fears for his place he should fight for it. An Afridi batting cameo can turn a match but without that string to his bow he cannot pull on heartstrings. And without that string to his bow there is serious doubt over his longevity.

I hope Ramadan helps Afridi return with the determination to fulfill his proper role in Pakistan cricket. Don't halt the shots Shahid.

	Only last year Mohammad Yousuf broke a record belonging to Viv Richards © Getty Images

1 Only last year Mohammad Yousuf broke a record belonging to Viv Richards. Now Yousuf is no Richards but he is the closest this Pakistan team will get. The best cricketers can perform in any version of the game and Yousuf is a top international batsman. His batting powers more than compensate for any fielding shortcomings. I'm baffled, he's shocked, and the selectors already sound confused.

2 Yousuf's replacement is Misbah-ul Haq, a player who often promises much in domestic cricket but fails to look the part on the international arena. As my colleague, Osman Samiuddin suggested, if a new batsman was required it should have been a new hope not an old has-been.

3 I've already said my piece about Abdul Razzaq. He has been a player in decline as a bowler and fielder but his batting has mostly held up until recent months. He can be a hurricane in limited overs cricket but the selectors have condemned this twister to the touchline.

This new era promised merit and transparency. Instead the selectors have become the killers of careers, unfortunately for reasons unknown.

	'Lawson's first task will be to revive Pakistan for the Twenty20 World Cup' © AFP

Now, by all accounts, Geoff "Henry" Lawson, has been chosen to wear the crown of thorns. Being a classically tough Australian paceman, he might just relish the pricks he will encounter. Let's hope so. This is a time for optimism and good wishes.

Lawson's great strength is that he has made a success of leading with a positive attitude. Pakistan cricket has been least successful when in its defensive moods before Imran Khan and after Wasim Akram. His advantage over Pakistan's other foreign coaches--and his competitors this time around--is that he has most recently played international cricket. He also lives and breathes the Australian way, which has become the road all other cricket nations now seek.

Problems remain. The language barrier requires an effective strategy; poor communication is the root of much disunity. Lawson is an untried coach at the international level, hence this is as much an experiment for him as it is for Pakistan. Most importantly, the PCB is yet to prove that it can support a professional coach with the required framework, management style, and wisdom.

But Lawson, a qualified optometrist, is familiar with recognising and treating myopia. From a tearaway fast bowler with a long, angular run; he has become a thoughtful and respected commentator on the game. All his statements during the convoluted selection process have demonstrated a well-considered enthusiasm for his new job.

Lawson's first task will be to revive Pakistan for the Twenty20 World Cup, a tournament that Pakistan will be expected to do well in. The longer objectives will be to improve Pakistan's performance in Australia, South Africa, and England, leading to the next World Cup, which has become the benchmark of a coach's success.

But many an enthusiast has been broken by the calamitous nature of Asian cricket. King Henry, for Pakistan's sake, must fare better.

	'Salman Butt's most valuable role for Pakistan is as a formidable opener' © Getty Images

Now the young man is vice-captain, a tribute to his potential both as a player and as a thinking cricketer. Youth must have its day, of course, but there seems to be an unseemly haste about his appointment. Salman is yet to secure his place in the team. There are many other not-so-old candidates knocking around (and I go back to my advocacy of the two vice-captain theory). And the signal that the PCB is trying to send out with his appointment is a needless one.

Salman Butt's most valuable role for Pakistan is as a formidable opener. The vice-captaincy is a trifling thing that can be gifted and withdrawn on a whim. It is not a guaranteed route to the captaincy. This latest wonder of decision making may create unnecessary pressure, and harm Salman the Batsman and ironically Salman the Future Captain.

Let's hope not. Salman Butt can become a highly successful cricketer for Pakistan. On this occasion, his cause has been hampered by the misplaced enthusiasm of his employers.

	'Dav Whatmore, welcome to the whacky world of Pakistan cricket.' © AFP

Of the three remaining candidates--and you might reasonably ask what became of Aaqib Javed, Tim Boon, and Javed Miandad?--the man for the job has to be Dav Whatmore. He knows the Australian way but he also knows Asia. He has succeeded with both Sri Lanka (World Cup winners) and Bangladesh (World Cup giant killers) in different ways. He has yet to coach one of Asia's big two but the leap should not be beyond him. Indeed, it is a great time to coach Pakistan with a young captain and young team ready to be shaped into something more substantial.

Dav's the Man from this Australian shortlist, but as usual the PCB has managed to supervise the process in such a way that you wonder how they ruled out some of the other promising candidates? Dav Whatmore, welcome to the whacky world of Pakistan cricket.

	Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, has to answer a lot questions © AFP

Bob Woolmer's death--murder or natural causes--has been horribly compounded by the pitiful charade played out by policemen, pathologists, and journalists speculating on the cause of death. Being uncertain about cause of death is not a new phenomenon. Doctors and pathologists in a hospital near you are inevitably dealing with the same confusion, even about patients that had every pulse and breath monitored closely for days prior to death. Imposing certainty on medical practice is an exercise in futility. From the facts released to the public I don't think it is possible to know how Bob died, which makes you wonder why his body was released for cremation before the issue was settled?

The World Cup was probably the worst in history, a consequence of greed and myopia that engulfed the ICC and the host organising committee. A World Cup that meanders on and on without the home team and their spectators joining the party is a blow to cricket as a major international sport. Another exercise in futility. Even Australia's brilliance wasn't properly rewarded when the final ended in farce.

Now we stand on the brink of the biggest exercise in futility of all: two games of festival cricket between an Asian XI and an African XI, with neither side able to muster its first choice players. We have a glut of international cricket. Players are overworked and injuries are more prevalent. Who really cares if Asia beats Africa? Who really believes that the individual performances will have any meaning? Cricket's administrators are already in disrepute yet they remain shameless. With every move they confirm that they are out of touch with the soul of cricket. And this Afro-Asian car crash in a side street is as soulless as it gets.

	Tim Boon is a good English coach with unproven international credentials © Getty Images

When Pakistan won the World Cup in 1992, Imran's Tigers had the benefit of coach Intikhab Alam. Seven years later, when Wasim Akram lead Pakistan to another World Cup final, Mushtaq Mohammad, another legspinner, was in charge of fielding practice. Yet it isn't clear what either of those two coaches added? Imran and Wasim were all dominant.

Since then Pakistan tried a low-key international coach (Richard Pybus), a low-key home coach (Mudassar Nazar), a high-profile home coach (Javed Miandad), and a high-profile international coach (Bob Woolmer). On objective measures of success, Woolmer was the most successful helping Pakistan gain high positions in the Test and One-day rankings, although the last year of his charge was a disaster. Even Woolmer's malleable personality found obstacles within the team, a problem that Javed Miandad--who I once imagined would be the ideal coach for Pakistan--nurtured all too easily.

Which brings us back to the debate of the moment. You might make the case that an experienced captain with an experienced team could do without a coach, or tolerate one in the supportive role that Intikhab and Mushtaq played.

But this Pakistan team is full of players with plenty of learning to do. Pakistan's domestic cricket delivers raw talent not the finely-honed final product. Indeed many of the players' techniques require work and it isn't clear that they have the capacity to be self-motivated learners or even appreciate good advice when it looks them in the mouth. Woolmer became increasingly frustrated with the inability of this crop of players to improve through experience and advice.

So not only do Pakistan require a coach--or a team of coaches--but the players need to open up their minds and be willing to learn from others. With fewer big name stars to interfere and block the role of the coach, a situation that both Miandad and Woolmer encountered to some degree, Pakistan have an ideal opportunity to appoint somebody who can nurture the talent available and work in partnership with the captain.

In many ways, with few megastars to rub up the wrong way, the time for Woolmer or Miandad in their differing styles was now. Dav Whatmore, a proven team-builder with vast international coaching experience, could have been a sensible choice if a foreign coach was required. But the early chatter about Aaqib Javed has given way to whispers about Tim Boon, a good English coach with unproven international credentials.

The easy decision is that Pakistan require a coach. The harder one is working out who that should be in a country that has a poor tradition of working constructively with coaches. More importantly still, Ramiz Raja and Shahid Afridi will be proven right if the players are unable or unwilling to learn - and that is the biggest challenge Shoaib Malik and his new coach will now face.

	There was enough spirit and verve on display over this series as a whole to conclude that Shoaib Malik's captaincy has begun successfully © AFP

A clean sweep of this series would have been an unimaginable result--and so it turned out. Sri Lanka are a formidable one-day team even without their premier bowler. This series was a trip too far but today they roused themselves to give Tom Moody a happy send off.

Pakistan made mistakes. Malik made mistakes. There is much work to be done to polish the skills of this young team. But nobody should have expected a perfect performance so early. Each new formation requires some time to settle. New responsibilities bring new roles, and new roles take a little getting used to. If these players are to challenge the world's best they will have to advance their skills quickly.

But there was enough spirit and verve on display over this series as a whole to conclude that Shoaib Malik's captaincy has begun successfully, better than might have been expected. He was probably helped by the absence of Younis Khan and Shoaib Akhtar, which allowed him to rule outside the glare of captains-in-the-wings. Pakistan must build from this pleasant beginning and hold the thought that they defeated the World Cup finalists. The new age already offers much to fascinate.

	Return of the think tank © AFP

Australia, as usual, are the premier exponents of the think-tank approach. Ricky Ponting has grown into a formidable leader but his lieutenants, Messrs Warne, Gilchrist, and Hussey--or anybody else with a bright idea for that matter--will not hesitate to have a word of wisdom with their captain or the bowler. Gilchrist, for example, will often hatch a plan in the middle of an over. Even if it is a chat about the next episode of Neighbours it puts the batsman on edge.

Under Inzamam-ul Haq the Pakistan think-tank had ebbed away. All thinking resided within his tank-like frame. The huddle, an opportunity to impart instructions and urge common purpose, reigned supreme. But I'm refreshed by the return of the think-tank. It shows that Shoaib Malik is willing to debate and listen. He must have the final say, of course, but no individual has a monopoly on the best ideas.

Winning two matches against a jaded and under-strength Sri Lankan team does not make you the best in the world. It does not mean that every move that Captain Malik made was the correct one. It does not mean that Sergeant-Major Afridi will rescue Pakistan in every match with bat or ball--and today there was genuine pressure from Sri Lanka when Afridi bowled his team back into a dominant position.

Yet there is more to team spirit than the embrace of a huddle. There is a degree of sharing of ideas and strategy, as well as some disagreement, that unites players in their quest. It has to be done in the middle of a match not confined to the middle of the captain's brain.

On these counts, Malik's era has begun optimistically. Welcome back Team Pakistan.

A tournament in Abu Dhabi may never rank as one of the most important in international history but this one does matter greatly in the bruised world of Pakistan cricket. There are many reasons why we shouldn't read too much into this victory but we can enjoy it.

The best part for me was that a bunch of young players realised that their time had come. The route to success is tortuous and wildly undulating but if Pakistan can consistently muster today's spirit they will keep their fans with them. It has been a long time since a Pakistan team looked so full of energy--and if any Australians or South Africans were watching, yes this was energetic for the boys in green.

But the crowning glory was the adrenaline rush of Shahid Afridi's innings and the joy it returned to fans and players alike. Afridi, the man who could have been King, began the Age of Malik with a show of daring and unity that was a symbol of the team's spirit. Let's hope it continues.

	'Pakistan cricket is a fragile creature that carries the hopes and dreams of millions around the globe, sometimes fulfills them, but too often lurches from one disaster to the next' © AFP

Pakistan cricket is a fragile creature that carries the hopes and dreams of millions around the globe, sometimes fulfills them, but too often lurches from one disaster to the next. But as my fellow writer Nauman Niaz put it in a comment in response to a previous blog, redemption comes cheap.

Today we stand in optimism behind Shoaib Malik, an intellectual lightweight—see Nadia Khan’s interview if you disagree—but an enthusiastic heavyweight. Many of us dare to believe that this time it will be different, youth will sweep away the anti-professionalism of Big Inzy’s era. We have gifted redemption for nothing in return. The rest of the world—including Pakistan fans of the pragmatic school—believes us redemption-comes-cheap wallas to be mad fools. And so be it—it’s more fun that way.

Now all Shoaib and the Boyz need do is to vindicate us. When they face World Cup finalists Sri Lanka in the furnace of Abu Dhabi, Pakistan will be the ones with a point to prove, hungry for success. Sri Lanka, shorn of their mighty bowlers and sapped of desire, should be the Bangladesh to Pakistan’s India.

If the Boyz stumble at this first surmountable hurdle they might rediscover that just as redemption comes cheap, anger comes quickly. The next two years will be a rocky road and we should be patient in judgment—but sometimes it is too hard to bite your tongue.

This moment feels like a step into the unknown. I hope it stretches into a triumphant leap. That is exactly what the cheap redemption of millions deserves.

	Mohammad Asif is a feisty bowler with an engaging on-field persona © AFP

Mohammad Asif, the McGrath of Sheikhapura, has been appointed Pakistan's vice-captain. This is a bold move by the PCB, who have now firmly stated their intention to invest in a new generation of Pakistan cricketers. Already, Asif has shown himself to be an outstanding fast bowler, somebody whose career might reach astronomical heights.

He is a feisty bowler with an engaging on-field persona. But just as early he has fallen into the snare of nandrolone, inadvertently if we are to believe his protestations - and there is no reason not to. A WADA inquiry hangs over him. If I were working for WADA I would consider only one thing worse than a suspect sportsman playing international sport, and that would be a suspect sportsman in a position of responsibility.

Mohammad Asif might well be a judicious choice as vice captain but it is injudicious to appoint him before the WADA business is done. A vice too early for the young man's good.