Kamran Abbasi

Pakistan cricket is on the 'critical' list. Mohammad Yousuf will lead the team in conditions that will severely test his batsmen -- and to many eyes the captain himself is the only credible Test batsman in the squad. Younis Khan's withdrawal has depleted the reserves of proper batsmen by 50%. The fault lies partly with the paucity of cricket that Pakistan have played recently but mainly with the PCB's inability to develop batsmen over the last decade.

Unfortunately, a sequence of Test series in New Zealand, Australia, and England is an inhospitable agenda for players with inexperience or technical frailties. Pakistan have many batsmen in both categories. This situation is a shame for Pakistan's blossoming bowling attack. The gulf between the two major arts of cricket has become wider than at almost any time in Pakistan's history.

A bigger concern, however, remains the leadership. It is hard to see Yousuf possessing the attributes that are required. Already, nervousness about the batting conditions in New Zealand and talk of decision-making by committee are causes for concern. Only strong leadership can pull Pakistan out of this hole. We need Pakistan to grow over the next months and arrive in Australia and then in England ready for battle. Next summer, and what it means for the survival of Pakistan cricket in particular, demands a strong showing.

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

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

Younis Khan has withdrawn from the tour of New Zealand requesting a break from cricket.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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The best of times are usually followed by the worst of times. This is Pakistan cricket. Something in the Pakistani psyche will inevitably prevent a delicate flower from blooming. Cricket is so fundamental to this nation’s identity that everybody wants a slice of cricket’s luxurious pie. Politicians, bureaucrats, and administrators want their 15 minutes of fame — though infamy is more common.

Meritless chancers choose cricket as their passport to power and glory. Nothing provides a greater thrill to these self-deluded fools than the belief that they have brought a national champion to his knees.

Pakistan cricket’s history is punctuated with such insulting tragedies, the most poignant being that of Imran Khan, the Sher of Pakistan, deciding to retire from international cricket after winning the 1992 World Cup.

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.

Pakistan's defeat is a blow and a shock. A semi-final place would have been an acceptable result before the tournament started but the manner of Pakistan's progress, and a semi-final against New Zealand, promised a happier outcome for Younis Khan's team.

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.

Pakistan are confident, they are even favourites for yet another tournament semi-final against New Zealand. One simple factor puts them in that position. It is the same factor without which Younis Khan would have been unable to lead this resurgence in Pakistan cricket. Right-arm, left-arm, legspin, offspin, Pakistan's attack has it all. An almost perfect balance that makes them challengers in any contest. But balance isn't enough. All the elements must be performing optimally. And here, just as in the World Twenty20, that is the happy circumstance. Such has been the excellence of Gul, Aamer, Rana, Ajmal and Afridi that Pakistan can resist their usual knee-jerk reaction of recalling their most famous bowler. This exquisite balance should prevail again, provided the wicket is not unfairly balanced in favour of the side bowling first.

My iPhone buzzed like crazy last night in response to a torrent of emails from the ICC announcing awards winners from the big event. I didn't expect much success for Pakistan but I did believe that their extraordinary performance in the World T20 would earn one of their players a gong. Now I have nothing but admiration for Dilshan and his frying pan shot. Sri Lanka have faced adversity too.

Nonetheless the big Twenty20 performances of the last year were the ones that turned the World T20 on its head and in Pakistan's favour. My sympathies also extended to South Africa, whose phenomenal performance in Test cricket last year went unrecognised. The only triumph for Pakistan was Aleem Dar's umpiring award, which I admit is a considerable achievement and recognition for the way in which Dar and Asad Rauf have transformed the reputation of Pakistani umpires.