The year 2007 was a period of tumult in Pakistan cricket. The great debacle in the Caribbean from a deeply embarrassing first round World Cup exit following an inexplicable loss to unheralded Ireland was a mortifying blow.
In the case of Pakistan’s foreign coach Bob Woolmer, literally so.
It was the last time Inzamam-ul-Haq would lead, what had become under his stewardship, became an outfit less focused on the job that gives them name, fame and fruit that springs from representing their nation with distinction on the world stage.
The irony cannot be dismissed given that the fortunes of their favourite cricket team on the field, is second religion, not a Sunday afternoon recreation, to the teeming millions of Pakistan.
But some of the ignominy, resulting from Pakistan’s worst World Cup performance in nine editions of the most prestigious event in the sport, was compounded with the tragic death of coach Woolmer, a steadying influence on a team that was known to force its supporters to tear their hair out in sheer frustration at their inconsistency.
Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room following his team’s shameful capitulation at the hands of Ireland, an amateur team made up of part time cricketers, some of whom had to beg for extended leave from their employers to continue playing beyond the first round.
Subsequent inquiries, which at one stage saw Pakistani players as suspects and thereafter, fingerprinted and probed, could not reach a conclusion. In a post-World Cup reform, the under-performing Pakistani team and Woolmer’s unnatural death led to a change in the leadership.
Younis Khan, piqued at the public humiliation over the team’s performance, complained of stress and his inability to lead Pakistan into a new era. This came as a complete shock to a vast majority, since not only had he, as a vice-captain, thrown the studied succession plan of three years out the window, there appeared to be no candidate good enough to take over the reigns from Inzamam, who announced his retirement, first from ODIs and then, as Test captain.
After failing to convince Younis to rescind the decision, the Pakistan Cricket Board led by Nasim Ashraf, who surprised everyone with his survival in the chairman’s seat (thanks largely  to terms of endearment with General Musharraf, his and the board’s patron-in-chief), appointed Shoaib Malik, whose own place in the Test team remains in doubt till todate.
The PCB also appointed Geoff Lawson to replace Woolmer, a choice that ran against the conventional wisdom of netting an experienced and proven coach for a team as inconsistent as Pakistan’s. The claims of Dave Whatmore, who had led Sri Lanka to a World Cup victory in 1996 and presided over Bangladesh’s finest hour were ignored.
Perhaps, the idea behind the change was a motivating factor given that Lawson, a former Australian fast bowler, came fresh to the challenge of coaching an international team with a battery of penetrating pace bowlers. They certainly could have done with his guidance
Notwithstanding his dedication and perseverance, Lawson has however, not been able to lay down the law in terms of consistency. Developing the mental side of the players was paramount, yet they remain dodgy when the heat is on.
Many of us in Pakistan were admittedly, hooked to the idea of an Australian great trying to instill the typical Aussie aggression but that has largely remained within the ambit of Twenty20 cricket — Pakistan’s performance in the inaugural World Cup in South Africa was phenomenally good — and to a certain extent in the regular ODI format. The Test arena is turning out to be the gaping hole in Lawson’s crafted boat.
To be fair to the new coach, the fortunes of a team depend to a large extent on the quality of leadership. Shoaib Malik is a fine young cricketer but not quite up to scratch in terms of navigating a ship that is loaded with players senior to him, who, for right or wrong reasons, feel they have better credentials. It does not help that Malik remains under the shadows and appears either overwhelmed by their presence or keen to appease them.
The return of his mercurial namesake, Shoaib Akhtar, who has, since Malik was appointed captain, stuck to his familiar but annoying regimen of making headlines for the wrong reasons — whether it is hitting pace partner Mohammad Asif with a bat or signing up B-grade Indian movies. Both times, Pakistan was dying for Akhtar to spit his venom on a cricket field.
In Malik’s absence through injury in the last two Tests of the year-end series against India, Pakistan reverted to a hesitant Younis Khan, who led the side amid controversy over selection matters.
Younis, most pundits agreed, was better captaincy material, even if it required the PCB chairman to rush a team of administrators and place a personal appeal to the star batsman when he refused to lead the side on the eve of the deciding Bangalore Test over a selection veto of his choice of a bowler as reinforcement from Pakistan to replace the indisposed Muhammad Sami. An annoyed Younis then, included Sami in the squad anyway. 
Malik is braced for fresh challenges to his leadership in the new year: one, Younis Khan has declared his intention to lead the Test side, if called upon; two, Misbahul Haq has won legion of fans with his spectacular crisis man mien and a calming influence, rooted in a sound educational background (he is an MBA) and dignified on-and-off field conduct. He is getting rave reviews and there is serious talk of an alternative, if things come to a head.
Finally, the biggest challenge for Malik will come against World Champions Australia in the next few months, regardless of whether the defining series is played at home or away. In many ways, as well as ascertaining the Pakistani team’s current standing, it will also determine what course they need to take to find their calling.
Historically, Pakistan has never been short of talent. It will require leadership and unity to make fans happy in and beyond the New Year.