Shahid Afridi can expect a lengthy ban, which is ill-timed as he was about to offer a solution to Pakistan's captaincy problems © Getty Images

Shahid Afridi left his mark on Pakistan's final 50 overs match in Australia - and on the cricket ball. First, he demonstrated how he could galvanise this Pakistan team into a fighting unit again. For the first time in weeks, Pakistan's players relished the fight and played with some belief. Afridi was at the heart of this, and his colleagues looked to be behind him.

But then we saw the daft side of Afridi, his ill-disguised bite of the cricket ball, a white and rather scruffy cherry. Pakistan were in with a shout, Afridi leading impressively, but he never looked the same after his appetite got the better of him and he was reprimand by the umpires. Afridi can expect a lengthy ban, which is ill-timed as he was about to offer a solution to Pakistan's captaincy problems.

He isn't the first international captain, of course, to tamper with the ball. Mike Atherton, for example, was relatively unscathed after his 'dirt in the pocket' incident. And you would judge Atherton to be more cerebral than Afridi by many tens of kilometers per hour.

Afridi's biting action was a disgrace but his captaincy style better suited Pakistan. He should take the ban, and learn a final sobering lesson. Desire to win should not be confused with winning at all costs. Once the dust has settled, Afridi should take up the captaincy. The question is what to do in the interim? Mohammad Yousuf is not the answer. The best solution would be a brief return for Younis Khan.

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As another dismal chapter closes on Pakistan's senior tour of Australia, another exciting one is about to start for the U19s. There have been few redeeming features of Pakistan's cricket since the failure in the Sydney Test, and Mohammad Yousuf's deluded assertion that his team have performed better than teams of the past is a hollow boast.

The evidence to disprove him has beamed to every corner of the globe. Unfortunately, Yousuf's dread philospohies have alarmed supporters and undoubtedly infected his troops. Mohammad Yousuf's Pakistan have lacked the will to win. They have settled for second best and been content in their failure.

Across the Tasman Sea, a young Pakistan side has shown how the exact opposite attitude can help you exceed expectations. Pakistan U19s may not even be one of the top two teams in the tournament but their spirit, as epitomised by Hammad Azam, has been refreshing. For demonstrating such will to win, Hammad deserves his opportunity in the Twenty20 against the senior Australian team.

Nobody expected Pakistan to beat Australia in the Tests or One-Day Series but the manner of defeat has been unacceptable. Pakistan's consistent success at U19 level over the last decade and more is testament to the talent in the pipeline. What happens in senior cricket that squanders that potential?

Many Cricinfo readers will know that the answers are several and reasonably obvious yet the PCB is unable to pinpoint them and deal with them effectively. Pakistan cricket can blame many factors out of its control both at home and abroad, however, it is far from getting its own house in any sort of order.

There is an urgent need to restore some pride. This series is lost and the team in a rut. Can there be any harm in Yousuf resting for the final match and allowing Shahid Afridi to try a different approach that better suits the Pakistani temperament? With any luck, Hammad and the U19s might once again remind the seniors how it's done.

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	The facts don't fit with Lalit Modi's explanation © AFP

Not a single Pakistan cricketer has attracted a bid in the IPL auction. Can this be genuine? Lalit Modi doesn't see anything strange in it, others haven't attracted bids either he says. But which other country with Pakistan's track record in Twenty20 cricket has been blanked?

Let's examine the facts. The current crop of Pakistan players were among the winners of the 2009 World Twenty20 and finalists in the previous one. Lahore Badshahs won the ICL. Pakistan cricketers featured prominently and influentially in the inaugral IPL tournament, and they are some of the best Twenty20 players in the world. Shahid Afridi, at the very least, is a star attraction.

The facts, Mr Modi, don't fit with your explanation. Why were Pakistan players put through the charade of entering the auction when they were to be boycotted by the franchises? Undoubtedly, politics are in play and Pakistan's cricketers are pawns in the South Asian game of battle chess.

Once more, Pakistan cricket is being marginalised with the PCB and the ICC watching impotently. The wall of silence that has greeted Pakistan's players in the IPL auction isn't a misfortune. It reeks of conspiracy.

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	Khurram Manzoor was the revelation of the series, which signifies the extent of Pakistan's failure. His attitude and application in a crisis were refreshing © Getty Images

Mohammad Yousuf wants to learn how to captain. Intikhab Alam wants his players, especially the seniors, to learn from their failures. Pakistan's emphasis on learning is admirable, but it is also baffling. A learning culture does not exist in the Pakistan team, an excuse culture does. In fact, the calls for learning sound like just another excuse to deflect criticism from the leadership and management of the Pakistan team.

Pakistan have been taught much over the last two tours, particularly by a professional Australian team, but they have learned little. The mistakes are the same and the captaincy no better. The same problems that existed before the New Zealand tour still exist today. No progress in the areas of concern.

Have Pakistan learned who should partner Salman Butt? No. Have Pakistan learned who is an alternative to Younis Khan at number 3? No. Have Pakistan learned the identity of their first choice to bat at number 6? No.

Have Pakistan's batsmen learned how to balance attack and defence in Test cricket, despite plenty of first-hand lessons from the Australian batsmen? No. Have Pakistan's tail-enders learned how to put a price on their wickets? No. Have Pakistan learned that Danish Kaneria can make the difference against the best teams? No.

Have Pakistan learned how to hold important catches, despite how much the drops have cost them? No. Has Yousuf learned anything of the art of captaincy and leadership, despite Ricky Ponting's masterclass in man-management and aggressive tactics? No.

Australia fully deserved their victory, although Pakistan handed it to them too easily. And that's the crux of the disappointment among supporters. The buildup to this tour generated great excitement, not because Pakistan fans expected their side to win. But because there was a real expectation, perhaps misplaced, that Pakistan were capable of putting up a fight and emerging stronger. Sadly, there was little fight, except from the bowlers until their wings were clipped by the defensive tactics.

The problems in Pakistan cricket run deep and some of them are beyond the control of the team management and the cricket establishment, but is this really the best we could have done? Ponting's Australia isn't yet a great team, even this confused Pakistan team almost stole a Test from them.

Despite the disappointment of a poor preformance, what positives can Pakistan take from this season of Test cricket? Here's my list, add yours:

1 Mohammad Aamer confirmed his ability and potential at Test level.

2 Mohammad Asif is back to his international best, but like Aamer he suffered from the negative field placings.

3 Mohammad Sami was a pleasant surprise and adds useful bench strength, provided he can maintain his Sydney form rather than returning to his bad old ways.

4 Umar Akmal is a star batsman in the making, but he isn't yet ready to shoulder the burden of the batting. He needs more guidance on how to build a Test innings, although who would he ask for help?

5 Sarfraz Ahmed is a better gloveman than Kamran Akmal, but he needs to quickly convince with his batting. At least Pakistan have a genuine alternative.

6 Salman Butt is the more secure of Pakistan's openers and deserves a decent run. He needs to work on the rest of his game. His failings are well known although undeserving of public abuse.

7 Khurram Manzoor was the revelation of the series, which signifies the extent of Pakistan's failure. His attitude and application in a crisis were refreshing. At one stage, he was prepared to take all the responsibility for saving the Hobart Test for Pakistan. He seemed to relish the challenge. A shame that he saved it until the final day, but it was a brave effort that deserves to be rewarded with more opportunities

The one-day series offers Pakistan a chance to regroup and finish on a high. Limited-overs cricket is less of a tactical challenge, although attack is again the best form of defence. The shorter game will suit Pakistan's players and hide their deficiencies. And returning players will give the team a different complexion and personality.

But the disappointment of the performances in this Test series will be hard to forget for Pakistan fans. Their team has not even stagnated, it has gone backwards in three important areas: batting, fielding, and captaincy. Pakistan's approach is a relic on the international stage, ill-suited and ill-prepared for the rigours of modern Test cricket.

Most disappointingly, few lessons have been learned over this season of Test cricket, and there is plenty of homework for Mohammad Yousuf and his men. But the first step is an honest appraisal of the state of the team and Pakistan cricket more broadly. Will the cricket board, coach and captain have the wisdom for such an assessment, and have the guts to do what's best for Pakistan cricket rather than themselves?

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Mohammad Yousuf's tactics have provoked disgust © Getty Images

With the entire world against it, the Pakistan cricket team has conspired to ensure that its deepest wounds are self-inflicted. We've seen some of the worst fielding from an international cricket team, something nobody can do anything about apparently. And now, just when we thought we'd got away with it, farcical run-outs have returned to remind everybody that Pakistan cricketers are only ever one step away from schoolboy errors.

It's been a dismal effort in Hobart, and nothing has been more dismal than the captaincy of Mohammad Yousuf. One of the great fascinations of cricket is the importance of leadership and how different styles of leadership can dramatically influence performance and results. We can't, however, expect every captain to have the psychological skills of Mike Brearley, the guts of Steve Waugh, or the warrior ways of Imran Khan. But we can expect competence, especially from somebody who has been an international cricketer for over a decade.

Yousuf's plea that ex-captains should stop criticising him and offer guidance is simply pathetic. You should never stop learning but if you're struggling with the ABCs and times-tables of cricket captaincy at the age of 35, you might as well give up. Yousuf's defensive approach has cost Pakistan in each Test match in Australia. Release the pressure from Test batsmen and they will plunder you. Ricky Ponting must be laughing his pants off. Yousuf has played his batsmen into glorious form.

At key moments in Hobart, Yousuf has decided to set a field for the scoreboard rather than the match situation. Captains must be able to read the ebb and flow of a match, and seize the initiative. Yousuf reacts to some inner instinct that isn't the instinct of a match-winning cricket captain. Today we endured a first session of Mohammad Aamer bowling round the wicket, wide of off stump with one slip. Pakistan had the new ball and needed wickets.

The message was simple: our bowlers aren't good enough to get you out, please get yourselves out. It's a message that has been a recurring theme of Yousuf's captaincy. The message couldn't be further from the truth. Yousuf is blessed with an outstanding pace attack at his command. Unfortunately, Pakistan's tactics have rendered the attack impotent at times.

It isn't just ex-Pakistani captains who are maddened by Yousuf's captaincy. Some of the greatest Australian minds, Richie Benaud, Mark Taylor, and Shane Warne, have been exasperated by Pakistan's tactics. They want Australia to succeed but they want to see a contest. They are excited by Pakistan's bowlers, described as the best seam attack to visit Australian shores for many years, but have witnessed natural resources squandered by Yousuf's gutless instincts.

Danish Kaneria has suffered too. He hasn't helped himself in Hobart but how does a legspinner exert any pressure in a Test match when he is bowling to a limited-overs field? Richie Benaud described the field set for Kaneria as possibly the worst he has ever seen for a Test legspinner.

Yousuf's captaincy and Pakistan's tactics have become an embarrassment. It's rather tragic that such a glorious batsman has been exposed so quickly as a leader. Yousuf might be a reluctant captain of sorts but he has coveted the job. The PCB in the days of Rameez Raja did not consider he had the qualities for leadership. Bob Woolmer had Younis Khan as his preferred captain, above Inzamam-ul Haq and Yousuf. Judgments that I would trust, judgments that have been vindicated.

Selection of the captain is the most important decision and the PCB has horribly mismanaged this situation. Instead of backing Younis Khan, the PCB bowed to player power and aided the marginalisation of Pakistan's most likely captain. Now Younis says he would not consider the role. Yousuf has been blessed by failure and awarded the one-day captaincy as well, which is a nonsensical decision. Shahid Afridi should be given an opportunity as one-day captain, with a view to taking over the Test captaincy unless Younis can be persuaded otherwise.

Pakistan are short of options because of chronic poor planning, but they need to make the best of the options available - and they need to act fast. Pakistan supporters never expected miracles from their team but they expected to see an approach worthy of support. Attack, spirit, battle. But the current approach has gone beyond ridicule and is provoking outright disgust.

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	Without his batting ability Kamran Akmal would be universally condemned, and perhaps that is his salvation © AFP

The manner of Pakistan's final day capitulation in Sydney was always going to hurt players and supporters. Mohammad Yousuf, Kamran Akmal and Misbah ul Haq in particular were unlikely to extract much sympathy.

No surprise there then, but Team Pakistan has managed to find another way to surprise us. The host television company could not have hoped for better other than to organise a Pop Idol style public vote to decide who will keep wicket for Pakistan. Stumper Idol doesn't have quite the same ring to it but I'd have tuned in.

My guess is Kamran would be voted out. Most fans have lost faith in his glovework and the Sydney Test just reminded everybody how often he has dropped important chances, opportunities that decide between success and failure.

Without his batting ability Kamran would be universally condemned, and perhaps that is his salvation. The boy can bat but he is too prone to throw his wicket away. A stint as a specialist batsmen might force him to rethink his attitude and give Pakistan another genuine batting option.

But the real issue of this week has been the sinister sentiment surrounding the wicketkeeping row. Yousuf, Kamran, and possibly Umar have seemed to hold one view while the PCB and the rest of the team management have held another.

Differences of opinion are inevitable but the serious problem is that the spat has reinforced the fears of many Pakistan supporters who believe that the players are hell bent on putting themselves first and above the interests of the national team.

There was a time when wearing the green cap with five pointed gold star was the pinnacle of achievement. Yes, some unworthy players got to wear it but it was hard to argue that the majority were probably the best available.

Unfortunately, the last decade or so has seen politics and personal preferences take an even firmer grip of cricketing affairs. Fans no longer have confidence that the best are being rewarded with the cap. Nor do they have confidence that those with the cap will act in the best interests of the team.

This might not be true but the perception is damning. Pakistan supporters old enough to remember will recall a time when their representatives wore the cap with pride and fought to the last. The perception is that priorities have changed.

An eternity in the limelight and an IPL contract have become the objectives of modern players. I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine, and hang Pakistan cricket. Ultimately, the cricket board is responsible for tolerating this nonsense, and players are responsible for allowing us to question their motives.

Values are important in times of adversity. Australia built a cricketing legacy upon them. The baggy green is still the most treasured and well-earned possession of any Australian cricketer. It's a lesson that is hitting Pakistan cricket squarely in the face and will continue to do so over the next 12 months. For Pakistan's cricketers, what better value could there be than putting the green cap before greenbacks?

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	Asaf Ali Zardari, the President of Pakistan © AFP

To the President of Pakistan,

We, the supporters of Pakistan cricket, demand an immediate end to the systematic destruction of Pakistan cricket.

Cricket is the single-most visible embodiment of the aspirations of the global Pakistani nation. Our cricketers are the most visible ambassadors of an embattled country. Cricket fans are representative of every walk of Pakistani society. The history of Pakistan as a nation and a cricket team is intertwined, and some might say cricket is a mirror reflecting the state of the nation.

We care about the present and the future of Pakistan cricket because we care about the present and the future of Pakistan itself.

Successive regimes of the Pakistan Cricket Board, under the patronage of the President of Pakistan, have indulged in nepotism, cronyism, and financial mismanagement, to name a few misdemeanours. The cricket board has been run unprofessionally in an age of professional international sport. Decision-making has been for the benefit of the individuals representing the cricket board rather than for the national cricket team or the hundreds of millions of cricket fans from all countries who support the Pakistan cricket team.

The result of this systematic mismanagement has been the isolation of Pakistan cricket from the international cricket community and the destruction of Pakistan as a force in the world of cricket. The Pakistan cricket team once made us proud, it is now the starkest example of how to waste the natural abilities, talents, and resources of the Pakistani people.

We demand that cricket does not follow squash and hockey, sports that we once dominated. Instead, we demand that the current cricket board of amateurs is disbanded and replaced by professionals fit to run a 21st century international sports organisation.

We demand that the current crop of exciting players, like Mohammad Aamer and Umar Akmal, has the hope of playing in a national team that makes Pakistan cricket great again and the supporters proud.

We demand that cricket puts its house in order and becomes a shining example of how to revitalise a Pakistani institution.

We demand that the patience of millions is rewarding with action.

As your predecessors knew, the success of the team is also a judgment on the success of your presidency.

Save Pakistan cricket.

Dil Dil Pakistan.

(If you support this letter, join the Facebook group/petition I've set up called 'A million people to save Pakistan cricket." Follow this link)

	The drum beats for Afridi's captaincy must be growing louder © AFP

A thrilling day of Test cricket has ended in dejection for Pakistan fans and deserved joy for Australia. I say ended, but the gloom set in as soon as Mohammad Yousuf put two fingers up to the warrior tradition of Pakistan cricket by setting a field for 800 for 8 instead of 80 for 8. Cricket is all about numbers and their interpretation, and Yousuf misinterpreted the numbers of hope and anticipation for the numbers of fear and dread.

Captains are celebrated when they turn a match with a fortunate bowling change or a clever fielding position. When they fail it is often quite hard to pinpont the decisive moment unless it is an error at the toss. Yet, Yousuf did something remarkable. For a whole session he pursued such a glaringly flawed strategy that he killed Pakistan's ambitions of winning their first Test in Australia since the mid 1990s. He will always be remembered for it: glorious failures are the stuff of legend.

What goes on inside Yousuf's head is something of a mystery. What motivates him? Why does he choose defence when the whole world would attack? As a younger batsman, he would launch an all-out batting assault at the most inappropriate moments. He must empathise with the rash strokemakers in his team because he has been one of them, and was perhaps among them again today. What goes on inside his head that he can blame his lofted drive for Pakistan's defeat, an uncontrolled moment, but seem oblivious to the two and half hours of stupidity that eased the pressure on Australia, played Australia into form, and allowed them a winning advantage?

It is difficult to be too hard on the man. He blames himself enough, he hurts like the rest of us, and he does care. But is that enough to be captain of Pakistan? It is a position that Yousuf has coveted, and believed he was unfairly denied for too long. Sometimes, however, the ambitions of our hearts and heads overestimate the sum of our capabilities. A close observation of Yousuf's captaincy has been alarming viewing during this cricket season, defensive and uninspiring in the extreme, only serving to reinforce the suspicion that he is captain by default. This morning's session was Yousuf reverting to what he knows best at a time of pressure. At such moments are captains judged.

Yousuf remains Pakistan's best Test batsman but the concern is that while the captaincy has delivered a newfound determination to his batting, it may have also made him less prolific. Is this a situation that Pakistan can afford with the national team's poverty of batting riches? Pakistan's problem is that alternatives are few. Younis Khan is out favour and out of love with the captaincy. Kamran Akmal has plenty of problems of his own before saddling him with another responsibility.

Worse still, Yousuf doesn't have enough tactical support among his senior players and his management team. Pakistan captains have never turned to Intikhab Alam for advice, his non-interference is the reason they have always kept him. Even Waqar Younis, wonderful bowler that he was, found captaincy a struggle. Where does a rookie, naturally defensive captain find a mentor in the Pakistan camp? The answer is nowhere. It is every man for himself with the vultures circling for a kill.

Yet is it Yousuf's fault that he was appointed to a post that is beyond his capabilities? That responsibility of course lies with the Pakistan Cricket Board, its chairman and selectors. These are the men, and their predecessors, who have grown fat on the largesse of administrative perks while the cricket team has withered at their whim. When your country's cricket structure boasts a spine of Ijaz Butt, Iqbal Qasim, Intikhab Alam, and Yousuf you probably don't need any further explanation. Who will hold these people accountable?

Pakistan's cricket has been given a false veneer of progress by three factors. First is the excellence of Pakistan's bowling attack, which has developed into a major force over the last year. Second is the emergence of Umar Akmal to add some thrills to a declining batting order. Finally, New Zealand were poor and Australia have been below par too, keeping Pakistan's wobbling enterprise on the tracks.

Nor is it that Pakistan's problems are new or unpredicted: The openers, namely Imran Farhat. The number three position and absence of Younis Khan. A tail that has forgotten how to wag, especially with failures from Misbah-ul-Haq and Kamran Akmal. Fielding and wicket keeping below top international standards. And a struggling captain. That's just about everything except the bowling. These areas of weakness have been obvious too, no stroke of genius to observe that Pakistan could do much better.

The first disappointment is that this is not the best of Pakistan that has represented us Down Under in Test cricket. The second is that the selected players, with notable exceptions, failed to put on the show of their lives to win the final day for their country. It's not the defeat but the manner of it that will be etched painfully into the brain of every Pakistani supporter who saw it. Defeat from the mother of all jaws of victory.

The deficiencies in batting, fielding, and wicketkeeping have been analysed to death. Change or improvement is required in all these areas. But the biggest loss that Pakistan has suffered is the loss of leaders on the pitch and in the dressing room. Umar, Mohammad Aamer, and Mohammad Asif deserve other warriors among them, and the top of my priority list would be recalls for Younis and Shahid Afridi. And if Younis is unwilling, for Yousuf is incapable, then the drum beats for Afridi's captaincy must be growing louder.

Would you prefer a coward's death or a warrior's? As I've said before, this is the most critical period in the history of Pakistan cricket. It has to be all not nothingness.

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	The man who holds the key to Pakistan's victory is Danish Kaneria © AFP

Pakistan should expect Australia to come back hard tomorrow. Ricky Ponting is an aggressive captain and he will believe his team can still win despite Pakistan's unexpected supremacy throughout this match. Mohammad Yousuf's team will need to be on their guard but must fight aggression with aggression, as taking wickets is the surest way to halt Australia's recovery.

I think Pakistan have shocked Australia in the first two days here - in truth, they've shocked even their most ardent supporters. First, a hastily flung together pace attack held an attacking but disciplined line and length. Discpline and attack were also on the agenda when the batsmen took their turn. Some of the shots might have been unnecessarily ambitious but the aggression of Pakistan's middle order was a refreshing sight.

The most accurate barometer of Pakistan's intent is usually their running betweenwickets. At Melbourne the batsmen were on their heels. Here they scampered and rushed through for quick singles. Yes, Pakistan could have secured a bigger lead but a more circumspect approach might well have surrendered as many wickets for fewer runs. The overall approach of the batsmen has been a sensible one: to unsettle Australia at every opportunity.

Now, Pakistan's bowlers and fielders face a stiffer challenge than in the first innings. The wicket is still helpful but less so than on the first day. Australia will have a much clearer target in mind and a determination not to lose to a humiliating innings defeat. The prospect of victory can be as tough to handle mentally as the danger of defeat.

Pakistan must hold their nerve and seek to bowl out Austalia on day three. Any sizeable fourth-innings run-chase has historically posed problems for Pakistan, and hence their target should be to dismiss Australia for under 300. That's certainly possible, provided the pace men revive the discipline and attack of the first day.

But the man who should hold the key to Pakistan's victory is Danish Kaneria. Nathan Hauritz produced a few viscously turning and bouncing deliveries that should have whet Kaneria's appetite. Like so many of his fellows, Kaneria has been short on match-winning performances against the strongest teams outside Asia. The stage has never been better set for Pakistan's late-blooming legspinner. Discpline and attack should be his watchwords too.

Pakistan cricket is in desperate need of this victory, against this opposition, and at this venue. Can Mohammad Yousuf's team pull off a momentous result?

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	Earlier versions of Mohammad Sami would have squandered the opportunity. The 2010 model was unbelievable © AFP

Sydney, the scene of emotional farewells to great Australian cricketers, kindly welcomed back two aspiring Pakistani bowlers to the limelight. It was a day to join the folklore of Pakistan cricket. Lord's might be the home of cricket but Sydney is the citadel, home to the mightiest power in cricket's history. It was a venue for Pakistan fans to savour.

Pakistan's success was delivered by three men, each of whom in their differing ways had fought to establish themselves in the last decade. First was Ricky Ponting, whose decision to bat was the decisive one on a cloudy, green-topped day of seam.

But the rest belonged to Messrs Asif and Sami, the comeback kids of Pakistan cricket. Asif has rarely disappointed, although this is his first great performance. Like Sami, Asif is a rare Pakistan fast bowler to rely on seam before swing. Unlike Sami, he has rarely struggled with his line. Like Asif, Sami was once the great fast bowling hope of Pakistan cricket. Unlike Asif, he rarely got it right. Earlier versions of Sami would have squandered the opportunity. The 2010 model was unbelievable, a flash of what might have been.

Can Pakistan's batsmen now turn the heroics of the comeback kids into a memorable victory?

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While billions of people have been working on their New Year's resolutions, Pakistan fans can sleep safe that instead of setting targets and goals for 2010 the Pakistani "think tank" have been cooking up a series of excuses for the team's plight.

Mr Mo Yousuf and Mr Inti Alam are making a decent late bid to become the pantomime clowns of the 2009-2010 season. Come on chaps, accept some responsibility and motivate your troops instead of saying: "Everything's messed up, it's not our fault, and we can't do anything about it." Here are three extracts from Mo and Inti's Book of Excuses, you might have some of your own to add.

Excuse Number 1: Don't blame us for the witless batting, blame Twenty20. Sounds plausible but forgets the point that most of the batsmen's careers predate the advent of Twenty20. In any case, these are professional players whose brains should be able to switch gears. I much prefer Shahid Afridi's view that Twenty20 has enhanced Test cricket. Indeed, much of Australia's domination of Test cricket was thanks to their one-day rate of scoring. Pakistan's batsmen like to give it a go but can't keep it up for long enough.

Excuse Number 2: Don't blame us for the hopeless fielding, blame Pakistani domestic cricket - and while we're at it how could a fielding coach do better than us anyway? Sounds half-plausible but the problem is that fielding is one discipline that really can be improved with perseverance and specialist input. Pakistan's main problem is that standards of fielding have risen in all other teams while Pakistan have stagnated. Generally, when Pakistan are playing well with a positive attitude, they hold their catches. Last year's Twenty20 was a prime example, when Pakistan went on a roll they hardly put a catch down and fielded as well as any team. They can do it, so complacent excuses don't wash.

Excuse Number 3: Don't blame us for the bowling, that's what we hired Waqar to cop the blame for.

With this excuse culture setting in, and Mohammad Aamer's injury, Pakistan's prospects aren't looking too clever for the Sydney Test. While fans continue to support their team with passion and are desperate for success, it hurts to see the country's cricket administrators and management of the team continually squander the natural resources at Pakistan's disposal.

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