Played none, lost none, you're fired

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.