Moin Khan Photo CricInfo

"... and Pakistan has won the world cup!" This phrase was to cause an upheaval and a change to everything back home. All seemed to be imitating Waqar Younis's run-up, boys taking off their shirts on their way back and others jumping with happiness, blazing fireworks and mithai parties to cheer such a glitzy moment. Nothing could deter their enthusiasm for the game and was never going to. Let us review the situation now.

Although only a few make it to the top, Pakistan did start producing sensational fast bowlers and continues to do so. Youngsters need someone to idolise, well they had found one. The simple fact is that boys in Pakistan use a taped tennis ball and can make it swing while playing on uneven, dusty and rock-like surfaces. This plays a major part when they bowl a whole lot better with a 'real red leather cherry' with a built-in seam, in their hand.

There is another side to this; while Pakistani bowlers find it easy to handle cherries, batsmen find it hard to cope and it continues to be a problem for them. However, tape on a tennis ball gets worn out quickly after a few gutsy hits here and there or from the rough surface. As a result, the ball comes slow through the air giving Pakistani batsmen plenty of time to get up to the ball and "angle" their bat for a stroke. Alas! This approach doesn't work outside sub-continent.

Boys playing domestic cricket don't get a chance to rectify their technique. This, because there are only a few turf pitches available to them in the country, used by a lot of teams, leaving them slow and worn out.

This has left Pakistani batting very vulnerable on Australian-like squares for which the administration has hardly got an answer. Preparing fast wickets in this year's Patron's Trophy and hiring of an English curator would definitely help the cause but my proposal would be to go a step further and send Pakistan 'A' teams every year to two destinations picked out of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies and England. Would it not be delightful, if an agreement were reached for Pakistan Juniors to regularly take part in the Busta Cup, English league or Australian domestic circuit? Collaboration at junior level is the answer. Sending an 'A' side now and then hardly makes a difference. Regular exposure to such wickets is needed instead of sending a few youngsters 'to gain international experience' with the senior team, hoping they would do better next time.

Such explanations, however genuine, need not be taken as excuses or to seek a soft corner for the team's dismal performance in New Zealand. All sorts of theories have popped up over the last few days to answer the question but from where I see it, hardly anything would change. Not because there is lack of commitment but because there is lack of ability.

The word 'ability' here is not just limited to talent but professionalism, leadership, stamina and determination. A score of 285 is by no means an impossible target to achieve if one has a professional approach to the proceedings. New Zealand had that in the ODI final. On the other hand, I remember Pakistan chasing the same total at Bangalore, the openers putting up 114 odd runs in a mere 15-17 overs against India, but Ijaz Ahmed and Inzamam-ul-Haq failed to capitalise as they tried to finish the match off in 20 overs! Panic buttons are too often pressed even before the batsmen make their way to the middle. Nothing to do with their ability though, it is just the nature of these Pakistanis.

The climate in Karachi is extremely hot and humid and that in Gilgit unbearably cold and dry, quite similar is the temperament of Pakistani cricketers. And as the players showed in the 4th ODI, experience doesn't help.

A cricket follower's agony is doubled when he or she looks at the leadership potential of Moin Khan. I make no apologies in saying, Moin seems not a natural leader of men. One still fails to understand the logic of trying to restrict England below 176 instead of bowling them out in the final test. Such negative thinking can be labelled a crime not a blunder. Theoretically, even a mouse is supposed to act like a lion in its own backyard but the Pakistan skipper seemed to have other ideas. I found this hard to comprehend, specially after Pakistan finished on top in the first two matches and were equally capable of doing so in the last.

Similarly, losing three early wickets at Christchurch prompted Moin to just have the rest go play out a practice knock in the middle. This is unforgivable, not because one is supposed to fight till the end but because a leader is never supposed to think along these lines. A basic rule of captaincy is, even if he is unsure of what to do or doubts the chances of victory, he must never hint it to his players.

The selection committee, whose job, I always believed should be limited to "advising" the captain, needs to now play a more pro-active role here and let Humayun Farhat celebrate his test debut. I say that with a very heavy heart as Moin is a seasoned campaigner but Humayun is a far better batsman, and can greatly contribute to strengthening Pakistan's batting. If I remember correctly, this was the reason for Moin getting the selectors' nod ahead of Rashid Latif a few years back. Let this logic prevail again.

Given continuing excellent performances by Humayun in Patron's Trophy to add to his portfolio of an extraordinary Quaid-e-Azam trophy last season, one can clearly see the inevitable happening. When it does, the Board would be left with a dilemma of whom to appoint captain. For many reasons, Wasim Akram's reign is over. Saeed Anwar, on the other hand, did show signs of aggressiveness when he decided to bat second in the home one-dayers against Sri Lanka. It was an approach that deserved more respect but came at the wrong time and put him out of favour. While I hardly believe that many cricket pundits would disagree, if I bracket Inzamam-ul-Haq with lack of charisma and agility to lead a temperamental side. It leaves one only with Waqar Younis, whose ability as captain is like an unexplained calculus equation, where it will not only take time to work out an answer but also take some real thought!

Whatever the way out may be, it is time to prepare a new captain. Possibly by putting Yousuf Youhana, Waqar Younis or Saeed Anwar in charge in various home and away competitions and looking at their leadership potential instead of only their ability to win matches. Alternatively PCB can always hire the services of a high-tech cricket analyst to look into what constitutes a successful captain.

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