Too many cooks ...

Fast bowling has moved on a little since Fred Trueman said: "To be a great fast bowler you 'ave to 'ave a big 'eart and a big arse." Now fast bowlers must have long fingernails, a sweating disorder, and a chronic cough.

Reverse swing, a reviled art for almost a decade, has become a fundamental requirement for fast men; its absence a major failing. All of this is good news for Wasim Akram, the only player who can swing the ball both ways in one delivery. It is also good news for Waqar Younis, and possibly Aqib Javed who--along with Wasim--can plan a happy retirement demonstrating their wrist actions around the world. But what it means for Pakistan's preparation for the biggest home series in living memory is less certain.

It does not follow that a great player automatically becomes a great tutor or mentor. Indeed, greatness often keeps company with a degree of arrogance or aloofness--let us be generous and call it magic--that makes it hard to communicate the craft to others. Gather together a hall of fame and the problem multiplies. Who has the final word? Who decides how much a bowler straightens his arm or opens his shoulders? Whose methods of swing and seam does a pupil adopt--all masters have their quirks and individuality? Does Mohammad Sami put his bowling world to rights by listening to Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, or Javed Miandad?

More worrying is the effect these worthies will have on squad dynamics. They should certainly shed their historic divisions but a training camp full of Pakistan's greatest will muddle the reporting lines. If you accept that Miandad, Inzamam-ul Haq, and Shoaib Akhtar are the most influential voices in the current squad, and that recent Test victories are the best indicator of progress, you might not want their authority and their systems to be eroded, merely enhanced with timely advice from one or two experts. But the Pakistan Cricket Board must be careful not to overcomplicate preparations by drafting in too many advisors, a situation likely to work to India's advantage.

Ironically, with Wasim Bari replacing Aamir Sohail the board set up has also lost the element of ruthlessness that helped Pakistan turn the tide after the World Cup. Bari will be more inclined to go with the flow and the big names. This is not a lament for Sohail, far from it, but where Sohail was easy to define, Bari is amorphous. Who knows what Bari stands for, other than preferring reputation over form? This star-struck approach breeds decadence and has failed Pakistan before. I once asked Bari what his selection strategy was--he was unable to explain it to me. It was the middle of a World Cup. Decent man though Bari is, it is unbelievable that the cricket board had no other option.

When a regime changes, the temptation is to run with ideas that are populist or uncontroversial. Bari's appointment and the proposed over-complication of camp preparations are signs that the vision of the new cricket board may not be as clear or far-sighted as was hoped. Decisions taken in haste are an age in their undoing. But let us hope these are mere aberrations. The best the board can do now is keep the pre-tour camp a simple affair, allow captain and coach to dominate preparations, and focus on deciding the number one spinner and number three fast bowler--on form and ability, not reputation. The rest will be determined by players with big 'earts, arses, and sweat patches.