Was he pushed or did he jump?

And then there were none. Bob Woolmer's arrival as Pakistan coach puts the final nail into the coffin of the architectural troika that Pakistan hired last year to purge an ageing and fractious team. At least Javed Miandad, unlike Rashid Latif and Aamir Sohail, lasted for over a year.

But like the other two, Miandad's departure - for the third time - was enveloped in some confusion. During the press conference at a sweltering National Stadium in Karachi, speculation was rife about the manner of his departure and the reasons behind it. Was he pushed, or did he jump? Was it problems with players that caused his demise, or was it his alleged reluctance to embrace technology and modernity in his methods that proved his undoing?

Miandad allegedly informed one reporter that he was leaving of his own accord, carrying out a threat he had first made in April. Rameez Raja, the chief executive of the PCB, clarified in a chat with Wisden Cricinfo that the board had terminated his contract. Later there were reports that the decision to part ways had been a mutual one.

The reasons behind his departure were the subject of some conjecture. "With Miandad, it must be because of his problems with handling players," said one journalist. "He is stuck in the cricketing dark ages, shunning laptops and proper analysis - he just isn't a modern-day coach," observed another. Given that his previous stints as coach had ended because of differences with players, the former reason is entirely plausible, albeit one Raja denies.

"Inzamam and the other players had no differences with Javed," said Raja. "We want to professionalise the top tier of Pakistan cricket and we just felt it was time to move towards that. We all know Miandad gave it his best shot, but we just needed something more."

Wasim Bari, Pakistan's chairman of selectors, thought it to be a combination of both. "Globally, the position of the coach has become a highly specialised and technical one. I think that realisation has played a big part in this. But yes, there were whispers after the India series about team unity and problems the team management had in communicating with the players, so maybe that played a part too."

Within this context, the question of how effectively Woolmer will be able to communicate with the players - given that not all of them are comfortable speaking in English - rather than how much he will earn, seems crucial, although some thought otherwise.

Woolmer has asked for a local, low-profile assistant coach to bridge the communication gap, and the retention of Haroon Rasheed - "for the foreseeable future" - as manager will also help. Aaqib Javed, the former pace bowler and coach of the World Cup-winning Under-19 team, is among the names that have been mentioned for the position, but a decision will be taken in the coming weeks.

Other names in the running included Dean Jones, who had expressed an interest, but Woolmer, says Raja, "had been identified early. His scientific approach and analytical expertise attracted us and it was just a question of sorting out his commitments with the ICC before hiring him. Woolmer won't be a magic wand, but we are extremely optimistic that he will bring about a positive change in the way the team operates and thinks."

Woolmer, who will soon have a much-needed physiotherapist-cum-fitness-trainer in Andy Gray, is said to be excited at the prospect of working with Pakistan and has already indicated to the board that he will be putting pressure on them to initiate more research and analysis into the cause of Team Pakistan. "He wants to meet some of the Pakistani players in England at the moment already," said Raja, "so that he can start building up a relationship with them."

Perhaps Woolmer will be an inspired choice. Maybe he will finally manage to instill the discipline and professionalism that a young team so desperately needs. Maybe he will be, after nine changes in the last five years, the one coach Pakistan has yearned for.

How the players respond to him is not as easy to predict, and neither is the degree to which Woolmer will succeed here. Scepticism doesn't arise from Woolmer's nationality or capability, as it did unfortunately with Richard Pybus. No, this unease emanates from the fact that, unbelievably, only 15 months into a rebuilding project, all the raw materials have been switched. How do you build something when you are not even sure of the tools you are to use? What is there to say that Woolmer won't be replaced before his contract expires in 2007?

The PCB may argue that they don't believe in change for the sake of it, but clearly they don't hold much hope in continuity. It is common practice in Pakistani politics for incumbent governments to scrap all policies of past governments, irrespective of whether or not they were beneficial. Likewise, changes in the PCB management, as the board itself admits, come with changes in personnel and policy. Last year, Miandad and Latif formed a potentially explosive odd couple; this year Inzamam and Woolmer are the chosen ones. Next year ... well, a year is a long time in Pakistan cricket.

Osman Samiuddin is a freelance writer based in Karachi.