In case you haven’t been able to keep up, here’s a short recap of the last five months in Pakistan cricket. We became World Champions, but were branded as match-fixers by a very bored politician. We beat our arch-rivals in a major ICC tournament, but developed a habit of losing ODI games to our perpetual bunnies. Our captain quit, then returned, then took a ‘break', and then decided he actually meant to quit again.

You know what? Let’s not dwell over how ridiculous the past few months have been because the sad fact is that this is par for the course for Pakistan cricket. Pakistan cricket is a circus and, with any circus, it’s pointless to focus on the motivations of its performers, which will always remain a mystery. It’s best to simply reflect on the attractions that stood out the last time you visited and consider what you’re looking forward to seeing the next time the circus is in town.

Mohammad Aamir used the series against New Zealand in the UAE to establish that, at the mere age of 17 (most probably 19), he may possess the best temperament in our team. For a player surrounded by drama queens in the locker-room, Aamir showed tremendous maturity in all aspects of his game. His 70-odd in the third ODI staggered belief as we had no right getting that close to winning the series. As a batting side, we deserved to lose that match, but, as a player, Aamir deserved better. In the first Twenty20 game, he went for 17 runs in his first over through a mixture of edges, overthrows, and a dropped catch. A disastrous start like that might have forced most young bowlers to lose the plot completely. Not Aamir, though. Unconvinced that the last over represented a failure in his formula, Aamir came back and bowled an exceptional spell. Would you have expected Mohammad Sami to do the same?

On the subject of bowlers, can someone please go back to last June and escort Umer Gul back to the present. Gully is steadily turning into the classic Jekyll-and-Hyde Pakistani bowler – as mercurial as the system that produced him. He’ll either deliver an onslaught of pinpoint yorkers and smart, zippy shorter balls, or will revert to length bowling and get smacked around by the likes of Aaron Redmond. I’m sure it’s not a psychological issue, as there is no doubt that Gul is a world class bowler who, when fit and firing, will be crucial to our prospects abroad over the next few months (God knows our batting won’t carry us).

Perhaps the most exciting prospect for the upcoming tours to New Zealand and Australia is the return of Mohammad Asif. While he may be rusty, if his spell in the seventh over of the ICC Champions Trophy match against Australia is anything to go by, he’s still got it. Gul and Aamir may be faster, but neither can extract the kind of cut and movement off the seam and pitch that comes naturally to Asif. A partnership of Asif, Aamir, and Gul should have most fans of pure fast-medium bowling licking their lips in anticipation.

The Test squad to New Zealand has been bolstered by the inclusion of Faisal Iqbal, Imran Farhat, and Salman Butt, who, along with the likes of the talismanic Shoaib Malik, will provide some much needed ballast to our batting line-up. Okay, I can’t believe I managed to type all that with a straight face. Seriously, though, we’re in deep trouble. The perpetual weakness of our openers makes the number three spot the most crucial position in the batting order. So who keeps it warm for Younis Khan?

While I’m glad that everyone’s favorite bhaanja gets to go on another free holiday at the PCB’s expense, Iqbal is certainly not the answer. Shahid Afridi successfully tried out Umar Akmal in the number three spot, but there’s a vast gulf between Twenty20 and Test cricket. However, genuine talent can be expected shine through in all formats. Without a shadow of a doubt, Akmal is the most exciting batting talent we have produced since the current Test captain and should play in every Test, ODI, and Twenty20 match from now until his retirement. Promoting him to number three would be a bold move, but not an unprecedented one as Fawad Alam was recently asked to fashion himself into a Test opener and responded bravely. Malik will retain his place lower in the order after prolonging his Test career with a century in his last outing.

And what of our new skipper? The last time Mohammed Yousuf served as a temporary captain in a Test match, he marked the occasion by crafting a beautiful century against the Australians – arguably the  greatest attack of our era – in their backyard. It behooves Yousuf to continue in a similar vein for the next two tours (Australia to follow New Zealand), a feat which is not beyond a batsman of his caliber. If he can inspire his team by sheer force of runs, much like Graeme Smith did in England, to jumpstart his captaincy, he can take heart in accomplishing something Younis couldn’t. However, don’t expect much by way of tactical astuteness as Yousuf is no Steve Waugh. If our formidable bowling attack can live up to its potential, Yousuf’s lack of tactical acumen may not necessarily handicap his captaincy.

It’s tricky being optimistic following the melodrama of the last five months. However, there is too much talent in the likes of Asif, Aamir, Ajmal, Akmal, Yousuf, Gul, and Alam to expect our team to simply fall away over the next two tours. We’ve been starved for Test cricket and now face the prospect of six matches on challenging terrain. Analysts want to box us in as a team best suited to the shortest format of the game. Let’s hope we can continue our habit of proving them wrong.

The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.