In my opinion, I think Yousuf is showing that he has truly been hurt and feels he has been wronged by what I felt was a harsh punishment given out to him after the disastrous tour of Australia where he had to step in as captain because there was no other option. The other punished players, in which I will not include Younis Khan, have filed their appeals and look to jump at the chance to get back into the international side and begin where they left off, at their trouble-making best.

Even though Yousuf declined Afridi’s request, I think it was a good move on Afridi’s part as this kind of inclusive and embracing attitude has been rare in Pakistan’s recent past. Afridi’s detractors would argue that he is just looking after his own back as having one of the world’s best batsmen in your line-up can only help your record as captain, but I think that’s a bit harsh. I think Afridi knows that of all the players that were banned or fined, Yousuf was one of the ones unfortunately caught in the net.

For the team, Yousuf’s absence means we will still have quite a hole in the middle order even though it does look like Younis Khan and, amazingly, Shoaib Malik will be returning for the games in England. It also means that we will be missing the kind of knock we witnessed from Yousuf when he scored 202 in the first innings at Lords in 2006. It was an innings to behold.

An old face but a young captain

Mohammad Yousuf came in for a lot of criticism from all corners for his field placements in the second Test against Australia when Peter Siddle and Michael Hussey were at the crease. How much was Yousuf to blame for this and was this the real cause of Pakistan’s defeat?

Many writers held Yousuf solely responsible, and had you been listening to the Australian commentary on that 4th day then it would have been easy to follow suit. Bill Lawry, Tony Greig, Richie Benaud, Mark Nicholas, Michael Slater, Mark Taylor, and last but definitely not the least, Ian Chapell, were all at it. Ian Chapell in particular, did not talk about anything else apart from Mohammad Yousuf in his 4th day commentary stints. I have an automatic dislike of people that are too sure of themselves and Ian Chapell is one.

If you are still firm in the belief that Yousuf got the field placing wrong, then you have to accept that it cannot have been his decision alone. After the close of play on day 3, strategies must have been discussed in the Pakistan camp and all the support staff, including the head coach, must have had an input. Also, the fact that Hussey and Siddle stayed in for so long showed that Yousuf did in fact read the track well, in that it was a relatively easy one to score on. So, would an immediately attacking field have been a good thing or a bad thing?

Had we started with an attacking field, this would have left more scoring opportunities for both Hussey and Siddle. Yes, it may have increased our chances of removing them but did our bowlers honestly look like getting anything on the 4th day? At one point, the camera followed Asif on his run up and he looked flat as a pancake. So if an attacking field didn’t yield us the wicket, the Australians would have got off to a flier and we would have then had to have resorted to a more defensive field but only after giving away easy runs. We would have been in even more of a bad position. To back up the argument that it was an easy pitch to score on, when Pakistan were on 55 in the last innings, 44 of their runs had come off boundaries; and this to an attacking field set by Ponting.

The Australian commentary aside, the frustration aside; if you look at it in the cold light of day then Yousuf didn’t do too much wrong. His biggest mistake, in fact, was the reckless shot he played when Pakistan were in such a good position in the final innings. Though it was easy to criticise him, he was not the reason we lost the match, with Kamran Akmal picking up that accolade (that is after dropping it!).

Still early in his captaincy career, I think Yousuf should be persevered with as long as he shows the desire to learn quickly. His admission of the poor shot he played shows that he is a man who is willing to learn since that admitting your mistakes or shortcomings is usually the first step in learning. Younis Khan has been captain many times and was seen to still make mistakes throughout his captaincy. He never came in for nearly as much criticism as Yousuf already has.

Field placings aside, the 176 target on that pitch should have been easily achieved with a bit of grit and intelligent thinking. Peter Siddle showed more determination on his own than the whole of the Pakistan team. Though I think heads must role after this defeat, I don’t think it should be Yousuf’s. You can see the way Australia celebrated that this was no ordinary victory for them. Inversely, this was then no ordinary defeat either as Pakistan went from unplayable in the beginning of the match, to unwatchable at the end. Permanent changes must be made.

Younis’ statements give us an insight into his character, something which had previously been expressed on Stani Army in regards to his fussiness with the captaincy issue. Whilst it can be a good thing to be strong minded as a leader, one must also, at times, take a step back and be rational about things rather than emotional. It will be interesting to see his reaction when squad selection issues and other problems arise. Will he just walk away? It remains to be seen but as strong minded and hasty he is at present, I wouldn’t be surprised if his reign as captain is shorter than Malik’s.

The Lahore attacks were crickets darkest day but I could never see the Sri Lankans throwing in the towel and they were in the thick of it. If every decent human being gave in to having had bad done to them then where would we be now?

To give up and walk away, is not the Pathan way.

Pakistan’s form has been variable for years, nothing new there. Its administration has been dysfunctional, nothing new there either. But this last year has questioned the viability of Pakistan as an international cricket nation. Form and organisation become secondary issues when your very existence is threatened.

Sri Lankan has ridden to Pakistan’s rescue when all other major nations have turned away. It is a debt that Pakistan cricket must remain mindful of and repay at the appropriate time.

These men of contrasting personalities, intellects, and motivational powers, do generally have one aspect in common: their place in the team is unquestioned. A rare captain has the wisdom to be an inspiring leader without matching the cricketing skills of his men. Mike Brearley is the most obvious example.

Now Shoaib Malik is no Mike Brearley, which would be his only ticket out of this mess. The agony and the misery of his captaincy term needs to be put to an end. Pakistan cricket needs to be forged anew with strong leadership. It will be a rocky road to a stable, consistently successful team. At the very least, Pakistan’s play requires great heart and consummate passion. It may be time for everybody to draw a line under the past and give Younis Khan the job he has already twice rejected. If Younis doesn’t want all the responsibility, the PCB could indulge Shahid Afridi’s captaincy dreams in cricket’s shortest form. Unconventional times require unpredictable solutions.

Published with the permission of Dr Kamran Abbasi. Also posted at cricinfo.com

The players are much the same but Pakistan cricket is now run by ex-cricketers who have a genuine passion for quality and success. They want change and believe that they can make it happen. Messrs Miandad, Qadir, and Sohail should – and probably do – realise that if they fail Pakistan cricket may never recover. To me, this new beginning carries the threat of a last chance.

Shoaib Malik’s team go into another series with familiar question marks over the consistency and quality of the batsmen, and howling criticisms over Malik’s captaincy. But the word from the Pakistan camp is that the spirit amongst the administration is good and the big egos are aligned.

Published with the permission of Dr Kamran Abbasi. Also posted at cricinfo.com