Old uncertainties return to haunt Pakistan

Shoaib Akhtar: a dedicated follower of fashion? © AFP

What a difference a week makes. Seven days ago Pakistan cricket was buoyant. Test and one-day whitewashes at home to Bangladesh had been followed by back-to-back wins over South Africa in the first two games of their five-match one-day series. Seven days - and three straight defeats - later, the all-too-familiar concerns and criticisms are back.

The rumour-mill is in full swing. Stories have circulated that several players embarked on a late-night drinking binge hours before Sunday's deciding ODI at Rawalpindi, which Pakistan lost by seven wickets; Shoaib Akhtar and Shoaib Malik were supposedly sighted at a fashion show late on Saturday evening; and Pakistan's batting, which was often suspect against Bangladesh, was torn to shreds in the fourth and fifth ODIs and the subject of fierce media criticism.

To add to the troubles Inzamam-ul-Haq, their new captain, tore a hamstring on Friday and is now doubtful for Friday's first Test. "It was disappointing to lose three matches in a row and the series in this way," he told reporters. "We were not expecting it to end this way. We need to now pay special attention to our batting and will need more experience for them."

Inzamam was cautiously defensive when asked about the presence of the two Shoaibs at the fashion show. "Our curfew timing is 11pm," he explained. "I think they were back then but if anyone breaks the discipline, action will be taken against him."

With Yousuf Youhana another doubt for the first Test - again with a hamstring strain - in normal circumstances Rashid Latif would be favourite to regain the captaincy which he was stripped of last month - but he has publicly said that he intends to miss the two-Test series. That would put Younis Khan and Abdul Razzaq in the frame as likely stand-in skippers.

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