The Asia Cup is being played at the wrong time of the year and we are lucky that the monsoon is a little late this year and most of the matches played so far have not been seriously affected though the rain-clouds continue to gather ominously. It is also hot and humid and it can't be too pleasant.

Bob Woolmer has had a look at the Pakistan team as a playing unit. Even allowing for the weather, Pakistan looked lethargic, as if in need of match practice but now that the main tournament has begun, perhaps, the players will ginger up.

Shoaib Akhtar played one match and bowled with a shorter run-up. This has come in for a lot of comment. It is being insinuated that Woolmer has made Shoaib shorten his run-up. He may have suggested it because he wants more control in line and length and not have Shoaib rely on intimidation. It makes sense.

But if Shoaib is unhappy he can always go back to his long run-up. Shoaib has to decide with which run-up he is comfortable. The coach can make a suggestion. Shoaib's first spell was an untidy one but he was bang on target in his second spell and was able to get reverse swing.

He seems happier when the ball is not brand-new and neither he nor Mohammad Sami seem to be able to control the new white ball which seems to swing more than the red one. These are early days but the Pakistan bowling does not look sharp and made heavy weather in bowling Hong Kong out.

It is possible that Inzamamul Haq, the Pakistan captain, wanted to try out his bits and pieces bowlers but the number of wides and no-balls being bowled is unacceptable.

It was the same story against the Indians and clearly there has been no improvement. I am sure that this item must be high on Woolmer's agenda. I am wondering whether these same bowlers bowl the same number of wides and no-balls when they play for their counties in England?

I think Woolmer needs to spend a lot of time with the bowlers. The Australian bowlers don't have a god-given gift and clearly they are made to work hard and I have not the slightest doubt that if a bowler continued to spray it about as a matter of routine, he would lose his place in the side.

I am disappointed that Abdul Razzaq has lost it a bit as a bowler and am wondering whether the time has not come that he should be played primarily as a batsman who can bowl a few overs. In which case he will have to bat higher up the order.

Shoaib Malik is being tried at number three and though he has a hundred to his name against Hong Kong, against India and Sri Lanka he may be batting too high. I believe that in the one-day game, the top batsman should get the maximum of overs.

The team's interest has to be come first and not the convenience of the batsman. It seems absurd that Inzamam and Yousuf Youhana should be coming in the middle of the order. One of these batsmen must play most of the overs.

Pakistan's weakness is that it does not have a top quality spinner and we have known about this for a long time and I am surprised that no efforts have been made to have a special spinners camp to find out if there is any talent waiting in the wings.

We should have used the services of Abdul Qadir, Iqbal Qasim and Tauseef Ahmed and someone like Bishen Singh Bedi should have been invited to give a helping hand. I had heard that something like this was in the works but the proposal got lost in the bureaucracy.

Easily the best match in the Asia Cup so far was the one between India and Sri Lanka which Sri Lanka managed to win in the last over. India is the hot favourite to win the tournament and this narrow defeat will come as a wake-up call.

India has yet to play Harbhajan Singh and Saurav Ganguly, India's captain, apparently prefers to play with three seamers and one specialist spinner. Of course he can call on Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh. And Ganguly can bowl a few overs himself.

Pakistan does not have this luxury as yet though Imran Farhat did turn his arm over but he's a long way from becoming a regular part-time bowler. In present-day cricket a player has to perform more than one function.

Bowlers should be able to bat and make a few runs. Batsmen should be able to bowl but if they can't they have to earn their keep by being brilliant fielders. The Pakistan team carries a lot of excess baggage.

Woolmer, of course, hasn't had the time to re-mould the team and even after the Asia Cup the team will be getting ready to go to Holland and then to England for the ICC Trophy.

The team went through some tough training and one expected that there would be some improvement in the fielding. It was not visible. By comparison Bangladesh looked pretty alert.

Take a fielder like Yuvraj. He gives the impression that he enjoys fielding as Jonty Rhodes used to do. Both looked happy in the field. One must make some allowance for the weather but it's hot and humid for all teams.

Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) looked completely out of their depth and demonstrated what a huge gap there is between the Test-playing countries and the others in the Asian region. Both teams were made up of mainly Pakistani and Indian ex-pats. Should they be competing at this level? Does it devalue the tournament?

Both the Hong Kong and the UAE teams will be richer by the experience and if we are serious about the development of cricket in the Asian region, then these teams must be given exposure.

An even better idea could be if Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka were to send their 'A' teams regularly to these countries. It will keep alive the interest and improve standards.