Pakistan address their core issues

How long does rebuilding a team take? Is it an endless process, where players are tried, tested and replaced indefinitely? Or is there a more definitive conclusion, when you have identified the tools that will serve you for the future?

As with so many things, the answer probably nestles in the middle somewhere - you identify a core group of players for the long haul and fiddle with the peripherals. Which is exactly what has happened in the 14 months since Inzamam took over as captain of Pakistan. It is an indication of how settled the Pakistan side is gradually becoming that there has been, in the last few squad selections, very little to debate. Inzamam, the team management, and the board have preached continuity, and what is more, they have practised it as well.

There are 11 players in this squad, for example, who were picked for Inzamam's first Test as captain (although he himself didn't actually play, due to injury). And there are 11 again from the squad that played the Karachi Test against Sri Lanka. The core is pretty stable, but it is around the edges that uncertainty remains - and in Australia, that can be cruelly exploited.

Of the many things to be learnt from India's stunning performances last year in Australia, and their subsequently disastrous time at home last month, one lesson stood out. If you have a settled opening pair you give yourself a chance: if you don't, you are pleading for trouble. Opening in Pakistan has traditionally been a hazardous occupation. There is no equivalent here of a Greenidge and Haynes or a Hayden and Langer.

In the last year, Pakistan's openings have been particularly troublesome. They have tried four opening combinations, and although Imran Farhat and Taufeeq Umar briefly raised hopes, a credible solution is no nearer. The promotion of Yasir Hameed against Sri Lanka was borne of desperation, and it brought predictably worrying results. Pakistan now embark on their toughest tour to date with only two specialist openers, one of whom, Salman Butt, has played only one Test. In this context, the exclusion of Umar - earmarked as a specialist Test opener, yet picked for the Kolkata one-day squad and dropped for a subsequent Test tour - is an ominous sign of indecision.

On the surface, Kamran Akmal's inclusion as the sole wicketkeeper suggests a similar scarcity of vision, but the policy deserves deeper examination. It can be argued that taking just one keeper is a disaster waiting to happen, especially one as young and inexperienced as Akmal. Although his batting evokes little confidence, he is a natural keeper, gifted with soft hands and athleticism. But if he really is the future of Pakistan behind the stumps, now, more than ever, is the time to scrutinise that assertion: if he comes out of it relatively unscathed, then Moin Khan and Rashid Latif can finally be put out to grass, to join people like Wasim BNari and Saleem Yousuf in the record-books. But if Akmal doesn't deliver, the calls for Moin or Latif to return will get louder, and the future more uncertain.

Similarly, pace bowling has rarely been a problem for Pakistan in the recent past. But given Shoaib Akhtar's inability to complete a series and Mohammad Sami's erratic form, back-up options for Australia look threadbare. Here at least, the selectors can't be blamed. Although Umar Gul's absence will be felt, Shabbir Ahmed's continuing injury troubles deprived Pakistan not only of a formidable opening or first-change bowler, but also their most incisive and consistent performer of the last year. On the pitches of Australia, his ability to extract bounce and appreciable movement would have been priceless. This leaves Pakistan with the unenviable quandary of relying on the likes of the limited Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, tireless and willing as he is, and a pair of newcomers, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Khalil, to provide back-up.

The real wild card in all this, though, may be the return of Shahid Afridi. His one-day credentials have been open to question, while his Test qualities haven't even been deemed worthy of question at all recently. But if Shoaib Malik represents the most vivid example of the benefits that Bob Woolmer brings, then Afridi hasn't been far behind. He has been open in his praise of the confidence Woolmer has given him, and his performance since has bordered - incredibly - on the consistent. He has chipped in with the ball, in the field and occasionally with the bat. It is unlikely, with Abdul Razzaq and Malik around, that he will make the Test side, but with the VB Series to come, a confident Afridi - and he will be after being selected - will be a dangerous one.

It remains, though, a settled side, and for that the captain and the selectors must be given their due. Additionally, by giving Inzamam himself some security for the next three series, the PCB has sent out a signal as positive as it is rare in Pakistan. With the expected arrival of a central-contracts system before the team departs, there is an unfamiliar air of serenity in the Pakistan camp. The bad news is that a series against Australia, as many have found out to their cost, can shatter that in a hurry.