KARACHI, Dec 27: Pakistan cricket never experienced such a sequence of reversals as it did in 2008. For the first time in living memory Pakistan went through an entire year without playing a single Test match after the solitary scheduled series in 2008 was scrapped following Australia’s refusal to honour their commitment.

Australia, who were due to play three Tests, five One-day Internationals and a Twenty20 International on a month-long trip that was slated to start from March 29, expressed safety concerns after some of the leading players indicated they would stay home rather than play in Pakistan if the tour went ahead.

While a compromise was reached between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Cricket Australia (CA) during an International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting in Dubai to split the rescheduled series in two parts with the one-dayers planned for March 2009 and the Tests the following year, Pakistan suffered considerable financial losses from the one-day series against no-hopers Bangladesh, who were invited to fill the breach.

Pakistan were to suffer another body blow later in the year when the ICC postponed September’s Champions Trophy, the second biggest tournament after the Word Cup, until October 2009 after five of the eight competing teams raised security concerns.

On the field, it came as no surprise that Bangladesh hardly challenged Pakistan during the 5-0 whitewash in April and completed an ill-fated trip with another demoralising defeat at Karachi in the first-ever Twenty20 International played in this country.

By comparison, Zimbabwe, who lost the one-day series by an identical margin earlier in the year, at least offered some resistance in no less than two games during their tour of Pakistan.

The biggest event to take place on this soil was undoubtedly, the ninth edition of Asia Cup with three matches taking place in Lahore and the remaining 10 in Karachi which also hosted the final, emphatically won by defending champions Sri Lanka thanks to ‘carrom ball’ specialist Ajantha Mendis’ incredible haul of six for 13 in eight overs against clueless Indian batsmen.

Pakistan, who failed to qualify for the final in a disappointing campaign, scored a creditable eight-wicket win over old foes India in the Super Four stage. Vice-captain Misbah-ul-Haq, standing in for an injured Shoaib Malik, celebrated his first match in charge on a triumphant note.

A three-nation tournament in Bangladesh, which preceded the Asia Cup, was clinched by Pakistan after Salman Butt and Younis Khan scored praiseworthy centuries against India in an exciting final at Dhaka.

Pakistan finished the year on a high with a 3-0 rout of the West Indies in Abu Dhabi that made them the top-ranked One-day International side with a success ratio of 85.71 per cent, ahead of second-placed world champions Australia (76.47) and New Zealand (75.00). Without being disparagement of their performance, it has to be put on record that 12 of Pakistan’s 18 wins in 21 games were against wooden-spoonists Bangladesh (seven) and Zimbabwe (five).

In terms of individual achievements in the year, Younis Khan was the sixth highest run-getter in ODIs (865 runs in 18 games at 54.06), followed by Salman Butt, seventh with 861 runs (ave 50.64).

In the bowling department, Sohail Tanvir and Shahid Afridi also finished among the top 10 wicket-takers. Sohail picked up 32 wickets (ave 23.87) and Afridi (30 wickets at 28.36) with both men playing 19 matches apiece. Umar Gul was 12th in the list with 24 scalps in 12 games (ave 19.79) while Rao Iftikhar took the 13th spot with the same number of wickets (ave 26.00) in 14 matches.

Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik performed more than satisfactorily both with the bat and the ball. The all-rounder scored 681 runs (ave 48.64) and claimed 16 wickets (ave 35.31) in 20 One-day Internationals. Malik’s efforts on the field and a marked change in attitude (which was at its lowest during the Asia Cup) install him as the favourite to retain the captaincy, which will be decided at the end of his current tenure on Dec 31.

Speaking of tenure, the PCB had a change of guard after the resignation of Dr Nasim Ashraf on Aug 18. Former wicket-keeper/batsman Ijaz Butt was appointed the new chairman of the most prestigious sports body in the country on Oct 7.

Ijaz, who brought in a number of ex-Test players to run the cricket board including Javed Miandad and Aamir Sohail, made a significant first move when he told national coach Geoff Lawson — hired in July 2007 for a two-year term — to pack up and replaced the 50-year-old Australian with the 68-year-old former Pakistan captain Intikhab Alam.

Lawson, the former Test paceman, earned the wrath of the Pakistani (and foreign) media when he angrily marched off from a press conference during the Asia Cup after his team had lost to Sri Lanka in a Super Four match. An expected media boycott the next day forced Lawson to apologise unconditionally for his unwarranted outburst.

Among other controversies to afflict Pakistan cricket in 2008, Shoaib Akhtar had a five-year ban, imposed by Dr Nasim Ashraf’s regime for a number of disciplinary breaches committed by the fiery fast bowler, and which was shortened to 18 months by an appellate committee that also fined him Rs7 million. The case is still pending in the Lahore High Court.

Shoaib made a brief return to the national side in October during the Twenty20 quadrangular tournament in Canada where Pakistan lost to Sri Lanka in the final.

Mohammad Asif disgraced himself when he was held for 19 days at Dubai airport after being allegedly found carrying illegal substance in his wallet while he was ‘returning’ from India after representing Delhi Daredevils in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The doping controversy continued to haunt one of the most talented pacemen to play for Pakistan when Asif tested positive for nandrolone during the IPL. Subsequently, the PCB banned him from all forms of the game pending the IPL inquiry.

Perhaps the most devastating on-field setback that Pakistan cricket had to endure in 2008 was the astonishing defection of their premier batsman Mohammad Yousuf to the breakaway Indian Cricket League (ICL). The elegant player, after being overlooked by the ICC sanctioned Indian Premier League (IPL), took a hasty decision to join ICL’s Lahore Badshahs in November, resulting in his ban to represent Pakistan by the PCB. The disgruntled player mentioned differences with captain Shoaib Malik and a few board officials as the major reason to leave Pakistan cricket.

On the domestic front, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) won the prestigious Quaid-i-Azam Trophy for the first time. The Pentangular Cup (first-class segment) was played twice in 2008 with the winners being Sindh and the NWFP, respectively. Sialkot Stallions completed a hat-trick of National Twenty20 titles, defeating Sindh Dolphins in the final at Lahore, while the Punjab Stallions lifted the first Pentangular Cup one-day event, easily beating Federal Areas Leopards in the final at Karachi.

As the year was about to end, Pakistan received more bad news when India opted to cancel their tour, that would have started on Jan 4, 2009, in the wake of the Mumbai attacks.

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja summed up the current tense situation perfectly when he recently wrote the following lines: “Right now, India-Pakistan cricket is caught in a whirlwind of emotions and politics. For cricket between the two countries to resume, there has to be time and space. Let the clouds of mistrust lift and the dust settle before we broach the subject of cricket.”

A year of virtual cricketing inactivity from Pakistan’s point of view got an unexpected boost from close friends Sri Lanka, who have graciously agreed to play in Pakistan to make up for India’s self-proclaimed absence.