The return of most competitive and festive cricket is merely round the corner. This years’ Ashes Series during the second part of the English Summer is much awaited. But no contest of sports is eagerly awaited than a clash between the true competitors Pakistan and India.

This cricket spectacle between February 24th and April 9th is going to hit almost half of the world, when hundreds-&-thousands in subcontinent and several other millions across the globe will get glued to televisions and computers (web-castes) trying to get a glimpse of the best contemporary sporting event

Most of the Pakistani and Indian players are good friends of each other. However the charged atmosphere created by thousands of spectators thronging the stadiums and millions watching from Pacific to Pacific, make the players on the field intense. True talent comes out with brightness, as each and every player tries to put in 110%. Many a times it has happened in the past that performances by players in the Pakistani-Indian Cricket Series determined their true mettle and future.

The last time Pakistan and India met in Pakistan was dubbed the Friendship Series. World class performances were seen during the series. The incredible runs-feast at Karachi set the scene for that series (India 349/7 – Pakistan 344/8 in 50 overs). The triple and double hundreds of Sewag and Dravid respectively during the test matches will be remembered for a long time to come.

The aftermath of Pakistan's defeat in the final test match at Pindi was the controversy about Shoaib Akhtar, who was called before a medical inquiry commission, so as to investigate about his wound. Statements of skipper Inzimam-ul-Haq suggested that it was kind of a mystery injury, where Shoaib was able to bat.

Do you know such controversies do not happen to someone regular? They happen with heroes and creeping of such controversy means Shoaib Akhter is the most popular player in subcontinent at the moment. People are longing to see him bursting in and tearing apart the defenses of the best batsmen in the world.

But why such controversy and indiscipline with Shoaib Akhter? The reason is the past two years’ Pakistani Management has been weak. One can not be strict at times and lax on other occasions. Management needs consistency of policies and approach.

Natural gems like Shoaib Akhter need to be properly inspired and used by skipper Inzi. He is still most capable of bowling one (and even more) really fast and sustained spell in each innings. But it all depends on the leader in the field as to how to use him and at what time. He was occasionally utilized properly, while most of the time Shoaib was misused during the Australian Summer.

Shoaib Akhtar is most valuable asset for Pakistan at the moment and should not be left out just like that. Shoaib and Inzi need to sit together and resolve their differences, which must not be all that distinctive. I know both of them want well for Pakistan Cricket. What they need to understand is that they are the stalwarts of contemporary Pakistani Cricket in bowling and batting respectively. They are the keys to the overall strategy, need to take the team together and groom the youngsters for a most spectacular future. They may have different views as to how Pakistani Cricket needs to move forward from here. But an honest dialogue between them with careful and managed facilitation by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) can hopefully bring the common vision, which obviously should be Pakistan needs to become a real force to be reckoned with in both the Test and One-Day matches. If they come to the field with different visions, Pakistan can not win in India. If this matter, before it is blown out of proportion, is amicably resolved and both Inzi and Shoaib play together with passion and pride, Pakistan can beat any team in world cricket.

When Aussies recently visited India in September-October 2004, these were some of the bowling statistics in Test matches. Indians got 73 of Aussies batsmen out. Out of these, 60 wickets were taken by the three Indian spinners Murali Kartik, Harbhajan Singh and Anil Kumble. As a comparison, Aussies got 68 of Indian wickets and won the series. For Aussies, fast bowlers Jason Gillespie, Glenn McGrath and Michael Kasprowicz got 43 wickets (63%), while Michael Clarke (amazing 6/9), Nathan Hauritz and Shane Warne together got the other 25 wickets (37%).

Now here are some of the bowling statistics from the last Pakistan-India Test series in Pakistan March-April 2004. Forty-Nine (49) Pakistani wickets fell of which 29 (59%) were taken by the Indian fast bowlers and 20 (41%) were taken by the Indian spinners. In contrast, Thirty-Two (32) Indian wickets fell of which 21 (66%) were taken by Pakistani fast bowlers and 11 (34%) by Pakistani spinners.

Both these series statistics show that Pakistan needs their fast bowling attack at its best if they want to beat India in India. This will be possible once as mentioned above Inzi and Shoaib enter the cricketing field with common goals and objectives. Second is Mohammad Sami is now fit and rearing to go. He needs more confidence from Captain and PCB. He is truly a wicket taking bowler. With most likely Waqar Younis coming in as Bowling Coach for the series and having watched all the Pakistani bowlers recently as commentator in Down-Under, Waqar will able to guide Sami and other youngsters. Sami is surely ready for take off with a different set of mind. At present, if you look at the crop of fast bowlers, Abdul Rauf, Shahid Nazir and Mohammad Irshad are the best remaining fast bowlers in Pakistan.

In my recent Press Statements, you must have learnt that I have confidently suggested Pakistani fast bowlers will be able to perform well in India with the aid of SG balls to be used in this series instead of the Kookaburra ball. SG Cricket ball used in India is quite hard with a high up seam. The first twenty overs with a SG ball by the genuine Pakistani fast bowlers can be daunting for any batting line-up of the world. Because of the good graze resistance, hardness and figure maintenance of the ball, good spinners also love to use SG balls. What really hit the home Indian batsmen while facing the Aussies was the reverse swing ability of SG ball resulting in sudden collapses of Indian batting in almost all the Test matches.

As such, fit Shoaib and Sami can play havoc for the Indian batsmen, the same way done by Aussies some five or six months ago with this SG ball. If the fast bowlers can produce devastating spells, high-action leg spinner Danish Kaneria with the harder ball can play the key role of quick wickets at crucial stages. Pakistan may very well need a good off-spinner to disturb the four left handed Indian batsmen. Recall for Arshad Khan is on the card after his excellent performance in the past four domestic seasons. Pakistan has now long been waiting for a left-arm spinner to emerge. Left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman of Gujranwala Cricket Association and Habib Bank Limited is the best left-arm spinner in the country and needs to be taken on the Indian tour. In the mean time, Pakistan needs to discover more left-arm spinners through the efforts of the different Cricket Academies.

Shahid Afridi has come of age and reborn as a top-class spinner during the Aussies trip. He is obviously automatic choice for the one-dayers. But if Pakistanis find an under prepared wicket for a test match, Afridi should then be an automatic choice, as his presence bolster the spin bowling department and he can score useful quick runs in that low scoring encounter.

Coming to the batting line-up for the Test series, Pakistan needs to open with right and left hand combination to disturb Indian fast bowling attack, which is mainly dependent on left arm bowlers like Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra. Yasir Hameed and Salman Butt should be the first choice with Taufeeq Umar lurking around for a spot. Both these first choice openers are attacking players and that is how modern day opening batsmen need to play in Test cricket. Team management should give confidence to young Yasir. He is very good aggressive player well-suited for any condition.

When going for batsmen to batsmen comparison, we find Pakistani one-down batsmen Younis Khan to be one of the bravest players in the team and has a record better than Mohammed Kaif and Yuvraj Singh. Then Pakistan’s number four and five are Inzi and Yousuf, the two most elegant batsmen in the world today and cricket and if they put their heads down can easily match the brilliance of Dravid and Tendulkar. Number six spot in the batting should automatically go to Asim Kamal. Technically speaking, Asim is one of the best players around in Pakistan.

For number seventh batsmen, it can be either Moin Khan, who has performed well in the Domestic cricket or Pakistan can continue with Kamran Akmal. Who ever is selected, this upcoming tour for the wicket-keeping spot either Kamran or Moin will be a make or break tour. Kamran performed pretty well in Australia. But then he did drop a few crucial catches and needs improvement in wicket keeping. Whoever is the wicketkeeper for the tour needs to realize that after this tour, the selection committee will not be the selectors; it will be Cricketing fans of Pakistan.

As discussed earlier, Pakistan team needs a specialist off-spinner because of Indians four left handed batsmen and number eights position should go to Arshad Khan, who can bat a bit as well. Due to being specialists, Arshad Khan has an edge over my very good friend all-rounder Shoaib Malik, who can join later for the one-day series. Mohammad Sami proved his batting credentials to be a reliable number ninth, while Shoaib Akhter can slog a few at number tenth. Obviously numbers eleventh will be Danish Kaneria.

Other than Taufeeq Umar, the standby players should be Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi and Abdur Rehman (left-arm spinner). To give some importance to Pakistan’s Domestic Cricket and confidence to youngsters playing in this form of Cricket that good performance can lead to a call for national duty; Faisal Ather deserves a recall for the last reserve batsman spot. He has represented Pakistan in a one-day match before and since he scored the most runs in Domestic First-Class Cricket (1,000+).

Although Naved-ul-Hassan Rana played with zeal and self-esteem in Australia, but his game is more suited for one-days, just like my nice pal Shoaib Malik. In test matches, for the last pacers standby spot, Pakistan can select an all-rounder just like Abdul Razzaq. For this, the best available talent and in form player is Yasir Arafat. But too many all-rounders in test matches are not good.

As such, Pakistan needs to look for a true pacer for this last bowling spot. There the competition is very stiff between Abdul Rauf (50+ Domestic wickets), Shahid Nazir (50+ Domestic Wickets), Naved-ul-Hassan Rana, Iftikhar Anjum, Rajesh Ramesh, Riaz Afridi, Mohammad Khalil, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Irshad (he is genuinely fast). If I were to select one of them, I would choose one among these three: Abdul Rauf - Shahid Nazir – or - Mohammad Irshad.

Therefore near me these should be the seventeen touring Pakistanis for the Test matches in India: Salman Butt (NBP) - Yasir Hameed (PIA) - Younis Khan (HBL) – Inzimam-ul-Haq (PTCL) - Yousuf Youhana (NBP) - Asim Kamal (PTCL) - Taufeeq Umar (HBL) - Faisal Ather (NBP) - Shoaib Akhter (KRL) - Mohammad Sami (NBP) - Abdul Razzaq (ZTBL) - Shahid Afridi (HBL) - Danish Kaneria (HBL) - Arshad Khan (ABL) - Kamran Akmal (NBP) - Abdul Rehmen (HBL) [best left arm spinner in the country] - Abdul Rauf (ABL)-or-Shahid Nazir (HBL)-or-Mohammad Irshad (SUI GAS).

We are in for one of the most memorable Cricket series of our times. Near me both the sides have equal chances of winning in both the Test and One-Day matches. The team, which would show nerves of metal and play as a well-knit unit, will obviously come out with flying colors. It will indeed be a close encounter.

The writer of this piece is the past Captain and Wicketkeeper of Pakistan Cricket Team and Chairman of the Rashid Latif Cricket Academy (RLCA) Karachi - Pakistan. You can E-Mail to him at info@rlca.com.pk