Are Shahid Afridi and Younis Khan captaincy material? © AFP

International cricket captains come in many varieties. Many are born leaders, others are quiet and calculating. They may be aggressive or defensive. Some exude calm, while others are frenetic. A lucky few are first among equals, but the unlucky ones are the last viable option.

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.

	Shoaib Malik: successful... but controversially so © AFP

Shoaib Malik's Pakistan have set a record of successive wins in one-day cricket. A few more home series against sub-standard opposition - before the ICC Champions Trophy - and the record will be unbeatable. This is a Pyrrhic victory made possible by the decimation of Pakistan's international itinerary. To compare Shoaib's captaincy with Imran Khan's is unworthy.

Indeed, the decision-making during the series has created plenty of controversy. Why were the new batsmen given little opportunity to play a substantial innings? Why were the new bowlers under bowled?

A series against Bangladesh - one that has been easily won - would seem an ideal opportunity to develop young players but not, apparently, in the minds of the current decision makers in Pakistan cricket. Yes, you can only beat the opposition presented to you. Yes, a record is a nice-to-have and a source of much welcome cheer. But why is it the development of Pakistan cricket that suffers at each turn?

On a positive note, Salman Butt and Mohammad Yousuf made as merrily as they should have, with Salman's application an encouraging omen. Shahid Afridi maintained his form as an influential wrist spinner. Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul were important returnees. But I was most fascinated by the easy actions and pace of Sohail Khan and Wahab Riaz. Bangladesh batted poorly but these two looked to have considerable potential, and it was disappointing that we saw so little of them--even in games that they were picked for.

This reluctance to properly test new players has become something of a feature of Shoaib's captaincy and betrays an insecurity and inexperience that bodes ill. If you can't take risks when you have outplayed Bangladesh then your captaincy will struggle to break free of its inhibitions.

Worryingly, Pakistan's reluctance to properly examine its newer players has left the opening batting slot unresolved. Who opens with Salman Butt remains unclear, and anybody who thinks Kamran Akmal can fill that role on more testing tracks is sadly mistaken. Indeed, a new keeper would have relished the opportunity to challenge Akmal, but Sarfraz Ahmed was completely ignored.

With Younis Khan's mood swings eroding confidence, Pakistan's bowling once again looks more optimistic than its batting. And if we chant the unholy trinity of opening partnership, middle order, and wicket keeper, we find that it is the same lament that Pakistan cricket has been singing for years. How to correct this triad of failings seems to be beyond the wit of those in charge.

No number of manufactured records will mask these fundamental failings.

	Younis Khan's unhappy tryst with captaincy looks set to continue © AFP

Younis Khan, suggest reports emanating from Bangalore, is about to turn his back on the Pakistan captaincy for a third time. We all know that Younis loathes nothing more than being somebody's dummy. We all know that the unreasonable reactions of Pakistan fans turn his mind from the captaincy. But if the reports are true and Younis does not lead Pakistan in Bangalore, he will be the dummy and an unreasonable one at that.

Admittedly, Pakistan's decision-making has defied logic. Yasir Arafat rushes in too late to play. Shoaib Akhtar leaves his hospital bed to open the bowling. Kamran Akmal remains Pakistan's wicketkeeper for his batting and not his glovework. Abdur Rauf is summoned but blocked by the board. Meanwhile, Pakistan's stand-in captain is an agitated bystander.

What power can Younis expect, though, as stand-in captain? He keeps the seat warm for his younger leader, and it is churlish to complain since this is a situation of his own making. The captaincy and the power could have been his.

Statistically, Younis is one of Pakistan's best ever batsmen. Everybody who scoffed at his heroics at Kolkata needs to remember that Pakistan have an abysmal record of saving a Test match on the final day. Far more illustrious Pakistan batting line-ups than this one have flopped miserably in less trying circumstances.

Yet Younis has never managed to capture the broad acclaim to match that of the people he rubs shoulders with in the records table. Some of this reluctance is down to Younis's unpredictability, although he is increasingly reliable. Some of it is down to juvenile mockery of his bottom-slapping technique of player motivation.

Much of this ambivalence, however, is entirely explained by his bizarre relationship with the Pakistan captaincy. The first refusal could be explained by principle. The second explained by emotion. Many Pakistan fans have been exasperated by these decisions. How could somebody refuse the national leadership role? This third hesitation will eradicate any sympathy for Younis's stance. The question is a simple one: What matters more to Younis, his pride or the opportunity to rescue this Test series for his country?

Let it go, Captain Khan. Your pride infuses your play but your pride is also diffusing your senses. The best answer to people in the squad or in the PCB who might undermine you is to show them what you are capable of on the field. That is where you win the argument, not in press conferences, syndicated columns, or air-conditioned boardrooms.

A Pakistan team with its third captain of the series will be a limp challenger to India's dominance.

	Shoaib Mailk's form will be the route to his success as a captain © Getty Images

The last one-day international mattered little in the grand scheme of cricket but it had become a genuine challenge to Shoaib Malik's authority. Pakistan's young captain revelled in the glow of a Twenty20 near triumph but his time since has been wretched.

On the field, Malik has at various times looked confused, clueless, and catatonic. His soundbites have underestimated the intelligence of his supporters. The whole of the South Africa series was excused by a Twenty20 hangover and the India one-day series has been more competitive in Malik's head than in the eyes of anybody who has witnessed it.

Malik's own form has been a disappointment, as has Pakistan's evidently timid approach under his captaincy. In many ways, the debate boils down to the manner of defeat--and the manner of defeat suffered by Malik's Pakistan has been soulless, an intolerable circumstance for Pakistan fans and ex-players.

Today's Man-of-the-Match award is a relief for Malik and helps him begin to establish his authority. Only rare captains, take Mike Brearley for example, are able to lead an international side without any semblance of form. Since Malik cannot hope to demand the intellectual authority of a Brearley, or even an Imran Khan, his form will be the route to his success as a captain.

That is lesson number one for Malik. Lesson number two is that Pakistan cricket is an aggressive beast, a captain must ride it with attitude to achieve success and satisfy the faithful. Pakistan played with something of a swagger today and it helped bring out the best in its young talents.

These have been tough and slow lessons to learn but let's hope they have sunk in. Furthermore, this series defeat has produced some positive outcomes. Sohail Tanvir has confirmed his status as Pakistan's most exciting young fast bowler and possible allrounder. Salman Butt may have solved one half of Pakistan's opening conundrum, at least in conditions where the ball doesn't move too much or for too long. Sarfraz Ahmed has shown that there is life behind the stumps without Kamran Akmal--and about time too. And Fawad Alam's frenetic energy hinted at why he has become a domestic hero and should find a regular place in Pakistan's one-day team.

Yet one win doesn't eliminate the weaknesses in this Pakistan team. They will have to play with this level of belief, commitment, and aggression to stand a chance against India in the Test series. Malik's best chance lies in the fact that though India might be the stronger team they are flawed too. Whatever happens, Shoaib Malik must realise that the only way to lead Pakistan is from the front and in the face of the opposition.

	Shoaib Malik is seen as a good choice for the future as Pakistan look to rebuild © AFP

Later this week the PCB is expected to confirm the rise of Shoaib Malik. His appointment as Pakistan captain will be a welcome change to the tried and failed method of handing the job to the most senior player.

Younis Khan's perplexing decision to snub the captaincy left the PCB with a testing decision. In the seniors corner, Mohammad Yousuf was expressing his willingness to lead his country. In the less-seniors corner, Shoaib Malik was keeping quiet. Elsewhere, Shahid Afridi (with some justification) and Abdul Razzaq (with no justification) were probably wondering why they'd blown it. Salman Butt might have begun to picture himself as Pakistan's first non-playing captain. And Shoaib Akhtar will have been regretting nandrolone more than ever.

In the end, the PCB has done well to choose a young captain, a smart cricketer, and a star of Mobilink Jazz adverts and Hum Aik Hain videos. If ever there was a time for Pakistan's cricketers to heed the words of a song this is it.

Factions and disloyalty should be greeted with a zero-tolerance policy, a young captain requires a clear demonstration of confidence from his cricket board. It is disappointing that the first leaks about Malik's elevation have been accompanied by an official stating that "there isn't really another suitable candidate around." This new era has to be launched with positives about the new captain and not any grudging excuses. Let's hope for better at the press conference.

Similarly, the PCB has to rethink its decision to appoint Malik on a "series by series" basis. A captain can be sacked at any moment and this series by series approach simply breeds uncertainty and disloyalty. Indeed there are hardly any series to speak of over the next few months and this policy becomes a way of undermining the new captain's authority right from the start.

Malik has to face a few challenges of his own too. It takes skill to handle people who are more experienced and win their full support--particularly in a culture steeped in hierarchy--but it is by no means an insurmountable problem. Imran Khan faced similar challenges when he took over but he quickly established his authority as his own performance jumped to a new level.

But Malik, unlike Imran, is yet to convince everyone that he fully deserves his place in both teams. His footwork--or lack of it--is a particular worry. Nonetheless, Malik strikes me as the kind of cricketer who will lift his game, fight, and accept the responsibility. I don't expect captaincy to propel him to the level it did Imran but I'd be hopeful that he can quash any doubts about his selection.

Malik's leadership is unproven on the world stage although he has captained with some distinction in domestic cricket. Unfortunately any good work was undone by his decision to deliberately lose a Twenty20 match. But his critics are being unfair. Malik's behaviour while unacceptable was a protest against the way the rules of the competition were being implemented and not a case of match-fixing in the sense that we understand it. Still, Malik's conduct will be under strict scrutiny and he needs to restore some credibility for himself and his country.

For the first time in months Pakistan cricket has moved in the right direction. It feels good to write that. It will feel even better if Pakistan begin to display urgency, bravery, competitiveness, and above all professionalism. The talent, we know, is there already. Can Shoaib Malik make the most of it?