South Africa's recent tour at the turn of 2007 was just about to re-ensure Pakistan as a peaceful cricketing outpost. Zimbabwe followed, but their presence perhaps didn't even get noticed among the powers that be in the ICC. Australia's tour was preceded by a security inspection of the venues, but players – Andrew Andrew Symonds for instance – had already started pulling out. Sporadic instances of violence around the country didn't help either, and Australia decided to postpone their tour to April 2009.

Performance takes a beating

Rahul Dravid's dip in form over the past year has been alarming, but Pakistan cricket's degeneration came without warning signals. If their unceremonious exit from the World Cup in the Caribbean was anything to go by, Pakistan cricket had hit an incredibly new low, momentarily held by their strong showing in the Twenty20 World Cup where they finished as runners-up to India. But defeats to South Africa at home and India away signalled a worrying trend.

A raw, depleted side managed to pull off the odd success at the Kitply Cup in Bangladesh and against the West Indies in Abu Dhabi. But the combination of lack of quality and dearth of cricket made sure they remained rooted at the bottom half of the ranking charts.

Star power goes bust

"Mercurial" is an often repeated term for Pakistan cricket and indeed its flag bearers. That it would become a symbol of irony, however, was least expected. As if dwindling performance wasn't enough, the wheels on which Pakistan cricket was running quite literally came off.

After Inzamam-ul-Haq's retirement and several of their players defecting to the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League, Shoaib Akhtar was handed a life ban for his repeated misdemeanours while fellow paceman Mohammad Asif was in the dock for first being arrested for possessing drugs and then testing positive during the IPL.

Shoaib has since been cleared after a court ruling stayed the ban and a change in power in the Pakistan Cricket Board paved the way for his return. But continuing fitness issues forced him on the sidelines without making the first team. Asif, on the other hand, faces as grim a future as does Pakistan cricket itself. He is yet to be cleared of his charges, and faces up to two years in the wilderness if found guilty.

Infighting was a common occurrence in Pakistan cricket. Talismanic batsman Mohammad Yousuf's sudden retirement and joining the ICL was testimony to that, with harsh words against captain Shoaib Malik following soon. In fact, the loudest cheer for Pakistani supporters came in the form of a win in the ICL, where the Lahore Badshahs avenged their loss to Hyderabad Heroes last season with an emphatic victory.

PAGE_BREAK

Lawson sent packing

There's a worrying dearth of talent in Pakistan's domestic structure but trouble flooded Pakistan from all quarters. After an impressive beginning at the helm by making the final of the Twenty20 World Cup, coach Geoff Lawson's term was cut short when he was dumped in October, months before his contract expired.

Lawson's relationship with the Pakistan Cricket Board hit rock bottom, and the performance of his team was the final nail in the coffin. Whether Pakistan could foresee global recession by sacking the Australian and appointing a home-grown man for the job to cut down costs, though, is unknown.

Former Test player Intikhab Alam was favoured ahead of yet another foreign coach, and followed with immediate success against the West Indies. Authority of running Pakistan cricket also changed hands, and the inclusion of former national players at influential positions might just be the boost they needed.

Champions Trophy – Jinxed?

The heralding of Twenty20 cricket, and, more specifically, the IPL, has shaken the very foundation of the day-long version. It almost was a repeat of last year, when the farcical scenes of the World Cup in the West Indies was replaced by a pulsating Twenty20 event. This time, the IPL set the benchmark, and ICC's once flagship tourney – the Champions Trophy – bore the brunt.

Although the tournament was cancelled because of teams' reluctance on touring Pakistan where it was supposed to be held, subsequent questions have been raised on whether or not the biennial competition should be played at all. The ICC was also on a collision course with the mighty BCCI over the clashing of dates with the Twenty20 Champions League, but was averted when the organisers pushed the dates back. What didn't work in ICC's favour was the postponement of the Champions Trophy.

Pakistan's reputation as a cricketing destination took a severe beating as the ICC deemed it unsafe to tour, despite India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh having recently toured for the Asia Cup. More trouble is in store for the Champions League next year when the dates issue with the Champions League – which too was postponed – will rear its head again.

Arch-rivalry has another meaning

The aftermath of the recent Mumbai terror attacks have made it all but certain that India would not be able to make the trip across to their neighbours. The BCCI backs the PCB at all times, as was seen during the Asia Cup and while lending support to the troubled nation during the Champions Trophy fiasco. But the events that unfolded in Mumbai threaten another backlash from political quarters. India had managed to tour Pakistan in 2004 after 15 years, and their refusal this time could mean yet another lull in cricketing fixtures, depriving fans on either side of the border of experiencing one of the game's greatest rivalries.

There's little doubt that Pakistan has been relegated to cricket's backwaters, and India's refusal to tour at the turn of the year could prove to be fatal. They would inevitably turn to Sri Lanka if India fail to visit, but a souring relationship within the sub-continent would damage rare unity among rivals.