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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

	Imran Nazir: Pakistan's saviour AFP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It is hard to imagine that the substantial partnership of Bob Woolmer and Inzamam-ul Haq will see another Test match. One or both will certainly be gone before Pakistan rejoin the battle later this year.

Now is the time for a verdict, and it is this: Pakistan have improved steadily under their leadership, from a position of near free-fall Pakistan are battling for second place. The home citadel--overrun too frequently in the past--has been strengthened once more. Indeed, the subcontinent has become a field of success for Pakistan. Great work.

But the litmus test of any Pakistan side is how it fares in Australia, England, and South Africa. In all three arenas Pakistan have failed--althought the failure in South Africa was a narrow one. The biggest cause for concern is the one that Imran Khan loves to trot out and that is the failure of openers.

This is a harsh judgement--and I have great fondness for both of them and many of the failings are not theirs but the system--yet in the eyes of history the bare unmitigated results will stand out and shout their verdict: great job, could have done better.

Having said that, a World Cup win will mean this record is forgotten.

	Kamran Akmal had been under pressure for his performances, but today's effort should silence the critics for now © Getty Images

Far be it for me to criticise somebody called Kamran, but Akmal's performances had become something of an embarrassment, a vicious circle of failure. There were even calls for him to be dumped for the final Test. But such a panic reaction should now be impossible.

Akmal is a smart cricketer, with a natural feel for his glovework and his batsmanship. Bob Woolmer decribes him as 20% of the team. When that vital 20% fails, the team suffers. Distinguished ex-cricketers have rated him highly, and after England's tour of Pakistan last year he was thought to be one of the best in the world.

Since then Akmal has had a tough time, dismissed too easily when batting and finding it hard to dismiss anybody when he is keeping. The talent is undoubted, the mind has been crushed by failure. In these circumstances it is a credit to Pakistan's management that they have stuck with somebody who has obvious ability and, when body and mind are in harmony, is capable of mastering the toughest conditions.

Introducing Zulqarnain Haider for the final Test would have been folly. The next mouth-watering encounter is too pivotal for a rushed debut. What this series has shown so far is that the battle for number two in international cricket is a tough one, an arena for experience not exuberance. Now that Akmal has rediscovered his magic touch with the bat, better wicketkeeping should follow--and he has to do both, he is not good enough to be played as a batsman.

Welcome back Kamran Akmal, a young man crucial to the balance of this Pakistan side, and a condemned man who today he earned a pardon for any number of fumbled catches and sloppy stumpings.

	Inzamam needs a century against South Africa to complete a full set...and only just missed out at Port Elizabeth © AFP

From the moment he began to the moment Mohammad Asif played a bizarre defensive stroke to end Pakistan's innings, Inzy was in total control. That mastery did not only apply to his strokeplay but it also applied to the way he protected Asif from the strike. If Pakistan win this Test, this innings will be remembered as one of Inzamam's greatest.

One of the joys of watching cricket is a final stand from a major batsman as the tail wags around him. It is great entertainment for the team's supporters and neutrals, not so much fun for the bowling side of course.

Another joy of watching cricket is a contest on a pitch with pace and bounce. The groundsman here has produced a fabulous wicket, shame that his colleagues around the world have forgotten how to produce them. Thanks to that failure, most modern batsmen aren't as comfortable on such surfaces as they should be. Inzamam, at least, has a long enough memory to remember the pleasure of such a surface. And today he passed on that pleasure to millions of spectators around the world.

	No winners here © Getty Images

The fans who abused Paul Harris and struck Makhaya Ntini are a disgrace to Pakistani supporters everywhere. This sorry incident has no winners.

But it does expose a deeper problem with South African cricket. Smith's team fully deserved their victory, Pakistan were outplayed, but the manner of the victory left something to be desired. The snarling--and persistent--abuse that South Africa's players hurled at Pakistan's players went some way beyond sledging. It is amazing that the umpires tolerated it.

The behaviour of South Africa's players created a vile atmosphere in this first Test match, and whether or not it was for ears or eyes only it was evident for the world to see. These antics do not excuse the behaviour of Pakistan's fans but it surely contributed to their agitation.

All credit to Cricket South Africa for further investigating Herschelle Gibbs but what they really should be doing is considering the public conduct of their team. It is conduct that does little for the image of the Rainbow Nation.

	Pakistan: not-so happy hookers © Getty Images

Pakistan's attempt at measured aggression was a sensible approach in the first innings but half the team perishing to hook or pull shots was a display of misplaced ambition. Australian batsmen showed admirably how it is wise to eschew this exhilarating stroke in favour of longevity, even on home bouncy wickets that they are familiar with.

Pakistan may have done enough in the first innings to dominate from here on--and Mohammad Asif helped spare the blushes of his batting colleagues--but this obsessive compulsion with the hook shot cost Pakistan a hundred runs or more.

Such sins have often cost players their international careers and the younger batsmen need to rein in their impulses. At least, for them, you might put it down to experience. But from Younis Khan and Inzamam it was almost criminal. No wonder South Africa laughed every time they fell for it hook, line and stinker.

	With Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Malik absent, Bob Woolmer will have to rely on a fairly young middle order to pull off a victory against South Africa © Getty Images

Pakistani batsmen have historically struggled in South Africa and this series promises to be a fascinating test of their consistency. Memories of outings at Old Trafford and Mohali will fill Pakistan fans with dread. The pressure will now be on Inzamam to carry the batting and prove his stature with a first successful series in South Africa. A career devoid of achievement in Australia or South Africa will be a career that will not be properly celebrated.

Yousuf's absence--and that of Shoaib Malik--will, however, be an unexpected opportunity for Pakistan's next generation of batsmen, Faisal Iqbal and Yasir Hameed--it is hard to see Asim Kamal nudging his way in front of them. Pakistan's top six suddenly looks light on experience but this is exactly the kind of step that players need to take on the path to a bigger career. As much as anything, it will be a test of character for the younger batsmen, particularly the two openers.

The bowling cover is less bothersome. Gul will be missed but an attack of Mohammad Asif, Rana Naved-ul Hasan, and Shahid Nazir looks the most likely combination, with a toss up between Danish Kaneria and Mohammad Sami for the final spot depending on the pitch. Despite Shoaib's summons, following his destruction of mighty Abbotabad, I'd be surprised if he were risked in the first Test, possibly at all.

Pakistan might have begun the series as favourites but the loss of key players means that South Africa now have the upper hand. This series, perhaps more than the World Cup, will be a measure of Bob Woolmer's progress with Team Pakistan.