Another emphatic win by the Proteas in Cape Town to wrap up the Standard Bank series certainly does not enhance the confidence of a talented yet unreliable Pakistan team. While the Proteas know that mental ascendancy has been achieved, the visiting team must feel they have yet again let their beloved supporters down --- again.

With so many talented cricketers in their ranks, I cannot for one minute believe that they could not have come closer to a win in the four losses that happened. As an outsider, I would definitely look at the leadership issue and pose some questions. On a tour of such importance, the man with the most wickets in the world in this form of the game has to play a bigger part than the odd game. Shoaib Akhtar needs to get his act together and start making some valuable contributions. Being the fastest in the world doesn't help your team when you are sitting around in the cloakroom more than on the field. Sure, injuries do happen but sometimes players have to bite the bullet and do the job they are paid for.

Throughout the series I got the impression that the best two batsmen were Yousuf Youhana and Inzamam-ul-Haq and they were batted in positions for some vital games that didn't afford them time at the crease early on in the series. Had they spent time at number three and four respectively for the first two or three games, just maybe they could have made a bigger impact when it counted.

With the World Cup preparation really behind them now, I would not be surprised to see that Wasim Akram makes a case for him to take over the captaincy. Perhaps it will spur him on to perform at a greater height for the last time on the World stage. Tactically it would be a shrewd move. After the losses it can easily be justified.

Test match cricket will now be in the minds of the players as they prepare for the two Tests and with a definite problem of handling bouncy pitches, Kingsmead must seem like a huge mountain to climb. Who will open the batting?

The coach will need to keep his troops really focused and this may just be a task easier said than done. South Africa is a great place to tour and have fun. However, it is never fun when you chase plenty of leather. The Pakistan team needs to be reminded of that!

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