We did mention in a previous post that Yousuf’s return will not only have the obvious effect of adding runs to the scoreboard, but also have an influence on the opposition and the young Pakistan batting line up. Certainly, it was obvious from Azhar Ali’s body language, that he was delighted to be out there in the middle with Mohammed Yousuf, and it is no coincidence that it led to Azhar’s highest score of his young Test career.

Did someone call for Yousuf? Mohammed Yousuf's return coincided with Pakistan's first 300 plus total of the tour of England

Yousuf’s affect on the mindset of the opposition was obvious, with Strauss adopting defensive fields to him very early on  as it became clear that the tactics employed previously to the other Pakistani batsmen, were not going to work with Yousuf. Just his name on the team sheet would have put doubts in the minds of the English bowlers, as Swann later touched upon in an interview, that he had looked down the Pakistan line up and identified Yousuf as the prize wicket for his 100th Test victim. As it turned out, Swann did manage to get him, but more through a lapse in the great man’s judgement to a negative Ashley Giles type of round the wicket line from Swann, than through the guile of the bowler himself.

Many Younis Khan supporters suggest that Younis should also be brought back as he would have a similar affect, but just watching Yousuf play, it’s obvious that even from where Younis is, Yousuf is still a level or two above. Yousuf has not gained much support from the Pakistani contingent of writers on cricinfo, and it is sad that this kind of mentality still exists even amongst our fans. Most of this lack of support was due to their constant backing, which was sometimes blind, of Younis Khan. They’re sure to be eating a bit of humble pie after yesterday. Even those less affiliated with Pakistan cricket, like Andrew Miller on cricinfo, can appreciate what Mohammed Yousuf is, so it is a shame that some of ‘Pakistan’s own’  could not bring themselves to do so:

“But unlike his less experienced team-mates, who had clung on without pushing on at Edgbaston, Yousuf used every ball faced to gauge the pace of the wicket. By the time he reached a half-century for the 57th time in 89 Tests, he was right back at the top of his game, with Steven Finn leaking four fours in ten balls to the first true great he’s ever encountered.” Cricinfo’s Andrew Miller

It is obvious that Pakistan still need Mohammed Yousuf and not even Osman Samiuddin and Kamran Abbasi could deny that…well they could, but they shouldn’t. At 35 years of age, I hope Yousuf has a few more years left in him yet. A freak of nature, how he can be so uncoordinated in the field and so graceful and majestic with a bat in his hand, I don’t know. If there is a more absorbing batsman to watch in world cricket, I am yet to come across him.

Result! My stock’s risen and I didn't even play!

As Pakistan supporters, we’re all frustrated and upset by the meek manner in which our team has surrendered to an Australian side that runs more on mental toughness than it does cricketing skill. Yet, to blame Mohammad Yousuf’s captaincy for the situation our team currently finds itself in is quite unfair. Dr Abbasi has been an outspoken supporter of Younis Khan as captain in the past and maybe his overly harsh criticism of Yousuf this time has something to do with this.

Yousuf has taken over at a difficult time with very little captaincy experience. We mustn’t forget that it was Younis who chickened out of the tours to New Zealand and Australia. Maybe he knew that staying in the background while Pakistan lose in Australia would make him look a better captain. Sadly, through the eyes of some it has.

It is extremely difficult to set fields or captain when your players cannot do the basics in the field or their job with the bat. A captain is only as good as his players. Until the last innings, Ponting hadn’t done much, he even made the mistake of batting first in the 2nd Test, but he’s soon going to find himself as the winning captain in a 3-0 series whitewash. Why? Because he could rely on his players. Yousuf, on the other hand, had nothing to fall back on. Nobody questioned Yousuf’s captaincy in New Zealand. Nobody questioned Yousuf’s captaincy in the 1st innings of the second Test. The difference was that the players were performing to some degree. Yet what of the roles of the coaching staff in this? Any blame Yousuf is deserving of must surely be shared by Intikhab Alam and Waqar Younis who don’t strike me as the finest examples of human intelligence.

For Dr Abbasi to say “nothing has been more dismal than the captaincy of Mohammad Yousuf” is blatantly incorrect. If any are to blame more than Yousuf, then it’s those that have dropped catches, Dr Abbasi’s namesake in particular, and those that haven’t scored well. It isn’t Yousuf’s captaincy that has played Ponting’s batsmen into “glorious form” as Dr Abbasi says, it’s those men. Had we taken just our catches, Yousuf would look a genius right now. But what does a captain do when he’s captaining a bunch of clowns?

Mohammad Yousuf: Took over in difficult circumstances & let down by team

Dr Abbasi was also critical of Yousuf for the fields our bowlers bowled to and the manner in which they bowled. Don’t our bowlers have a mind of their own? Don’t they know where to bowl? Bowlers can demand changes to fields, you see others teams bowlers doing it so why couldn’t ours? A simple question to ask is if we were to take Yousuf out of the side and put in another captain would we have been in a much better position right now? Well, the manner in which we batted and fielded, I doubt it. How can anyone attribute most blame to Yousuf’s captaincy then?

I think what fuelled Dr Abbasi’s disgust even more was listening to the Australian commentators such as Shane Warne, Richi Benaud and Mark Taylor; men that Dr Abbasi refers to as “some of the greatest Australian minds”. I did speak about the dangers of listening to these commentators on a previous post as their blatant biasness would leave many Pakistan supporters’ judgment skewed and end up filing them with rage. Mark Taylor isn’t the best friend of Pakistan as anyone who had listened to him in the wake of Bob Woolmer’s death and the Lahore attacks would know. Richie Benaud is someone who makes sly and cocky statements and really should tone down his cockiness in his old age as it is not a way to go for someone who doesn’t have long to go. As for the great Shane Warne, is it his womanising, match fixing or illegal substance taking greatness which makes his opinion so valid? Also, there were reasons why he was never made Australian captain.

Many people may still believe that Younis is a better captain than Yousuf, and in some ways, I’ll probably agree. But to criticise him this much for our current situation is very unfair. But whatever his downfalls, at least Yousuf hasn’t run off yet like a certain someone. Mohammad Yousuf may not be the greatest captain in the world, but this decent man certainly doesn’t deserve to be shamed like this.

Pakistan’s upcoming series against Australia offers a glimmer of hope that cricket might steal the headlines from non-playing controversies and tragedies. For the blight of Pakistan cricket is that off-field twists and turns have become so routine and so miserably damaging that a series without unnecessary distractions would be a cause for celebration.

It is hard, for example, to be enthusiastic about the recall of Shoaib Akhtar. Few Pakistan bowlers have matched Shoaib in full flight but even fewer have emulated his frailty. How many recent series have been preceded by positive statements about his fitness? Pakistan’s globetrotting future must belong to other pace bowlers, a sad realisation even for this Shoaib Akhtar fan.

The opportunities, however, carry their own fascination – especially for Pakistan cricket fans. Importantly, a successful offshore IPL will ease Pakistan’s transition to a team of globetrotters. Furthermore, the PCB and IPL could consider reinstating Pakistan’s cricketers if the tournament is outside India. Is that too much too ask? Aren’t all nations victims of terrorism? Why should Pakistan’s players be penalised and prevented from participating in a purportedly global tournament? Don’t Pakistan’s cricketers require support from the international cricket community to help competitive international cricket to survive in Pakistan?

The IPL has an opportunity to show that cricket has the power to repair damaged national relationships, and that it will not be cowed by terrorism. Indeed, becoming the premier world competition is not simply a matter of financial muscle, it is also a matter of leading by impeccable example.

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

Yesterday’s events and the ease with which the attackers rained bullets and then escaped did not equate with “presidential level” security. How could the assailants take on security forces in this manner for many minutes and then flee unharmed? The conclusion that is emerging is that the security arrangements and performance were criminal in their negligence. A view supported today by Chris Broad, a man known for speaking his mind without fear of causing offence.

All credit to him. I share his anger. This was the highest profile sporting event in terms of ensuring its safe passage, and it had been promised the highest level of security. Clearly, this did not happen. Such a disastrous security failure is either a conspiracy or a murderous case of negligence. Either way it has plunged the reputation of Pakistan to an all time low. All Pakistanis who care about the reputation of their country should be indignant.

The PCB and the Pakistani Government have some serious questions to answer. But who will hold them accountable?

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

The sole purpose of this barbaric act is a craving for the oxygen of publicity. There can be little political or strategic mileage to be gained by an attack on sportsmen. Indeed, we can only hope that such mindless violence will deeply damage the cause of the perpetrators, and precipitate their rapid downfall.

Brave Sri Lanka did not deserve this insult, and all sympathies are with their players and the officials who have been injured. Questions will inevitably be asked about the security arrangements, despite the regrettable deaths of several policemen. How could such a high profile tour have been allowed to have been ruined in this way? What do Pakistani security guarantees count for?

The least of the consequences of this disaster is that those who have advocated the continuation of international cricket in Pakistan – including me – have been proved wrong. No international team will now visit Pakistan, and the Pakistan Cricket Board should voluntarily arrange all future tours at neutral venues for the next year, may be longer.

This the darkest day in the history of Pakistan cricket and it occurred in a pleasant suburb of Lahore, a once great city of gardens and tranquility, not far from my own family home in Pakistan.

This is the end.

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

Meanwhile, Younis has devoured this challenge with an innings that could earn him the highest ever score by a Pakistani. It would be well deserved. The new captaincy, a selection row, criticism of his leadership in the field, a score of over six hundred, and the bowling combination of Murali and Mendis have all made this innings a test of Younis’ mental strength and character. He has passed with a flourish and an ever present smile.

His square drive to reach a century and reverse sweep to the triple hundred were typical Younis: classical yet innovative and fearless. The road to recovery for Pakistan cricket will be long and interrupted by failure. But Younis Khan has already shown that he is a man with the guts to lead Pakistan cricket out of the living hell of the past two years.

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

Karachi’s pitch has been easy paced and the bounce has been friendly, a graveyard for most bowlers, not just Pakistan’s assortment of characters with something to prove. It is a pitch that allows a bowler of high pace or sharp turn to make a genuine difference. Pakistan have neither of world class in this match.

Yet it is tough to return to Test cricket after 14 months, and some of the disciplines will take a while to return. Add that to the excellence of Sri Lanka’s batting, and you can see why the lottery of choosing an inexperienced attack might fail.

The real test of Younis Khan’s team will come when they face Murali and Mendis. A huge total will offer Sri Lanka’s world class bowlers the freedom to attack, while creating immense pressure for Pakistan’s untried batting line-up. Indeed, Shoaib Malik and Danish Kaneria have shown that the pitch will become increasingly receptive to good spin bowling.

There can be few bigger challenges in international cricket – even for a team with a new found solidarity forged in an isolation camp. The Age of Khan begins with a monumental struggle.

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

The relationship between Younis Khan and Abdul Qadir will be interesting to observe, as both have strong opinions and are prone to actions inspired by emotion rather than cool reflection. At least, there will be no shortage of passion.

On balance, though, the outcome is intriguing. Yes, Kamran Akmal’s selection continues to confound reason. Faisal Iqbal is an unexpected recall. And Sohail Tanvir’s omission seems unduly harsh. Nonetheless, the selection strikes a populist note by recalling Fawad Alam and Asim Kamal, and offering opportunities to Sohail Khan and Mohammad Talha. An out and out rookie, Ahmed Shehzad, adds to the fascination, a typically random Pakistani punt.

Surely, Pakistan’s isolation camp will not be enough to transform this wealth of inexperience into a winning combination against the old hands of Sri Lanka? Yet the final fifteen all have something to prove, none more than experienced players like Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Danish Kaneria, and Kamran Akmal.

With Sri Lanka focused on fond farewells to their excellent captain, Pakistan’s hunger for Test cricket and success should give Younis Khan the opportunity to make a fighting start in a series that his team will not be expected to win.

Absence, however, makes the crowd grow hungrier too, and Pakistan’s fans are notoriously unforgiving–and this is an occasion that requires patience. Pakistan have the right captain, and now they must find the right players. The question is how much tolerance and understanding the public and media will show as Pakistan cricket enters another era of rebuilding? But giving the current squad an opportunity is a decent enough beginning to the Age of Khan.

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