PAKISTAN played the entire Sharjah Cup tournament with an unchanged team and carried on with the same team against New Zealand at Karachi. This is exactly the sort of consistency that Pakistan needs. If it’s working, don’t change it or tinker with it, it is a perfectly balanced team.

There is depth in the batting so much so that even the nine, ten, jack, Waqar Younis, Saqlain Mushtaq and Shoaib Akhtar are not bunnies and can add some useful runs in their own way.

The bowling attack, when firing on all cylinders, is probably the most lethal in the world and in Shahid Afridi, there is an option and though he has not been asked to bowl too much, he is there to break-up a partnership.

The fielding, unfortunately, is nowhere near the standard needed but the good news is that the search is on for a trainer and we should start to see improvements. Admittedly, the team has not been tested on wickets that have some juice in them nor against top quality bowling but Pakistan is looking like a settled team.

The best news of all is the fitness (touch wood) of Shoaib Akhtar. In Karachi, with the roar of the crowed behind him, under lights, he was ferocious and could have linked arms with Malcolm Marshall, Jeff Thomson, Dennis Lillee, Andy Roberts and not be dwarfed.

Shoaib owes much to the PCB, to its Chairman, who fought his battles against bloody-minded umpires, supported him, nursed him through injuries. But more than that, Shoaib seemed to be his own worst enemy, given to tantrums and this was overlooked.

Fast bowlers, in any case, tend to be like race-horses. They need handling. As I wrote last week, Shoaib will be one of the star attractions of the World Cup 2003. He must ensure that his feet remain on the ground and the PCB must ensure that he does not get carried away by his stardom.

He is no longer a loner. He has fitted in well in the team and his team-mates are giving him a lot of support. Waqar bowled him nine overs on a trot because he wanted Shoaib to take six wickets, which he did.

Yousuf Youhana has cemented his position at number three in the batting order and I trust this is now a settled issue and no