Aaqib in, Waqar out, Shoaib back in, What is up with Inzamam

What is going on here? For a few days, I decide to pull away from Pakistani cricket, because it was supposed to be a quiet few days. Most of the players away at Hajj, a quiet warm-up match in South Africa, where the bowlers and young batsmen were expected to go through their paces and get all ready for the upcoming series.

Now that I examine the issue and happenings with a four-day retrospect-o-scope (I know, its my own word!), things may be beginning to make a little bit of sense, and I dare say, that it doesn't really make anyone look too good.

First of all, banally enough, the PCB announced the appointment of Aaqib Javed, as the Chief Coach at the National Cricket Academy. There were of course the usual issues of lack of process, with no advertisements being placed, no applications sought, in short really no due process. While I have criticised the PCB in the past for exactly this kind of behaviour, I was ready to cut them some slack in this particular issue as Aaqib does appear to be the most qualified coach in the country, and had a substantial hand in coaching Mohammad Asif and a few other bowlers in the second tier.

Then came a reasonably good start to the tour, with the much maligned Imran Farhat (even by myself!) and Mohammad Hafeez putting on 182 for the first wicket and both hitting centuries. And then, on the weekend, the wheels fell off the bus.

While Wasim Bari, Chief Selector, was returning from the Hajj and Iqbal Qasim was recovering from a heart attack, Waqar Younis went postal on Dr. Nasim Ashraf. As was reported here, Mushtaq Ahmed was rehired as Assistant Coach, and there was some strangeness about the fact that Waqar Younis was not going to be retained for the One Day series against South Africa. Well, there just wasn't strangeness, Waqar wasn't too happy about it! After he returned from the Hajj as well (was every Pakistani who is involved with cricket in Saudi Arabia?), Waqar in a telephone conversation huffed and puffed, and then resigned. Then, in an exclusive interview with Dawn, he lambasted the PCB and Dr. Nasim Ashraf for treating him in an absurd manner, while the PCB responded with cries of "unprofessionalism", and saying that he left for the Hajj to take an unauthorized holiday, and "missed" the conditioning camp. What about Bob Woolmer, and the physio, and Mohammad Yousuf and Shahid Afridi and Wasim Bari (chief selector, but I think I mentioned that before!), who also missed the conditioning camp. No one has ever accused the PCB of consistency, but come ON!

Waqar Younis has been hailed at every step by the young bowlers as being helpful, and the fast bowling performance against the West Indies is testament to that. Rana Naved, Umar Gul and Shahid Nazir all bowled well, and maintained their skills over the period. After a few months, no one can contend that Waqar Younis has not been doing his job. Waqar has been highly sought by first class teams in Australia, who aren't exactly short on coaching resources, so his skills are sough after. Instead, the PCB elected to fire Waqar and take Mushtaq Ahmed, a man who has no history in coaching, who was implicated in the Qayyum Commission, and who's only contribution to the team may be his ability to lead them in prayers.

If all of this wasn't enough, after getting to South Africa, Umar Gul pulled up lame with an ankle injury, which may in fact be much more severe than thought, and there is some thought that if the coaches and selectors had done their job, they may have seen this in the conditioning camp. Shoaib Malik also turned his ankle the wrong way, and will miss atleast the first test. Mohammad Yousuf also had to stay back in Pakistani for his wife, who is experiencing a difficult pregnancy. So, the team management in South Africa, decided to send for bowling help, who would they ask for? Shoaib Akhtar.

Yes, the very same Shoaib Akhtar who was dismissed as "unfit", and who since then had only bowled once in a first class match against tame opposition. Shoaib took this all in stride, spoke of his desire to play for the team, and tried desperately to find a flight to South Africa, albeit with little success. So, all of the drama precipitated by Inzamam and the selectors quickly faded away, leaving them all looking like morons and Shoaib being seen as the proverbial Knight in Shining Armour.

The injuries to Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Yousuf are perhaps somewhat more concerning, but as Kamran Abbasi puts it, this may be a real opportunity for the young batsmen, Hafeez, Farhat, Faisal Iqbal and Yasir Hameed to assert themselves and show that they belong in the highest echelon of cricket. Look for Hafeez, Faisal and Yasir to come good here, Shoaib to redeem himself, Mushtaq Ahmed to be fired again and the PCB to continue to look like the head-cut-off chickens that they are.