A week ago, Geoffrey Boycott asked whether any of the teams participating in it, needed or cared about the Asia Cup. Whilst the tournament may be unnecessary for India or Sri Lanka, it is vital for numerous parties in Pakistan.

First, of course, is the (cliché alert) entertainment-starved public of Pakistan who only consider the latest performances when castigating or praising the team. A half-decent Asia Cup, and the team can rest easy knowing that there won’t be calls for sackings and changes until the Sri Lanka tour in the summer. Furthermore, despite the successes in the recent past, Pakistan has failed to win a multi-national ODI tournament for years. A victory here could mean that the public and the media (who feeds whom is open to debate) will back off and allow Misbah and Whatmore in the transition they are leading.

Foremost amongst the concerned parties, though, is the captain of the team. It has barely been a month since Misbah-ul-Haq was the darling of Pakistan. But limited overs series losses against England have brought out the knee-jerk calling of heads that is a trademark of this nation.

No longer is he the man who has done the most to revive Pakistan cricket. He is now a pariah; a burden on the team in the shorter formats. His infamous ‘tuk tuk’ is reviled, and trotted out are the mentions of Mohali, Johannesburg and, now, Abu Dhabi.

Of course, there is no mention of instances like Napier as that doesn’t conform to the image we would like to portray. In fact, the mere mention of Jo’burg is proof of the rewriting of history. It is oft-forgotten that Pakistan needed 81 off 50 balls when Afridi got out, and left Misbah and the tail to deal with the run-chase. The fact that Pakistan came within a hit of the target ought to be thought of as a glorious failure, rather than “Misbah costing us the match.”

But why have shades of grey when you can portray everything in black and white? It is common to hear a Pakistani fan call for wholesale changes, and ask for “youngsters” to be brought in. Youngster, of course, is the all-encompassing word for dissatisfaction with the current crop, and a need for change, regardless of whether that change is positive or not. Cases in point are the two young men on whom the next decade is already being placed: Asad Shafiq and Umar Akmal.

Shafiq was labelled as the heir to – and has displaced – Mohammad; and 28 matches into his career he has failed to live up to that wholly-unfair label. An average of 30 – and a multitude of thrown-away starts – is nothing to write home about. Then there is Akmal, who has failed to live up to the promise he showed in his first eight months in international cricket, or so we are told. How much of that is down to him is open to debate. What is obvious is that he has a similar record to Inzamam at this stage of his career (After 58 ODIs, Inzi averaged 37.42, and had 2 hundreds and 13 fifties. Akmal averages 37.66, and has 1 hundred with his 13 fifties). But it was around this time of his career that Inzi started establishing himself as the best Pakistani batsman of his generation, and started to fulfil his talent. From the Austra-Asia Cup in 1994 to the 1996 World Cup, Inzi averaged nearly 50 with the bat in ODIs. Similarly, the days of reckoning for Akmal are here. If, as expected, he is given an extended run in the top-4, this could be the making – or breaking – of his career. Batting on placid wickets against not-too-extraordinary attacks is the ideal opportunity for Akmal and Shafiq to kick-start their careers.

And finally, there is the coach himself. Appointing him was – and remains – the ideal decision by the PCB. But the success under Mohsin Khan means that any changes – particularly those that fail – will be scrutinised to death. An unsuccessful run in the Asia Cup would result in his role being called into question, however ridiculous that idea may be. Much like Misbah, success here would give him the breathing room he will need to implement his vision on the team. The personnel (obdurate or flashy batsmen, a bowling attack heavily reliant on spin, a team filled with journeymen cricketers with the odd sprinkling of supreme talents) are similar to what he had in his two highly successful spells with Sri Lanka. He certainly has the aptitude or the experience to lead Pakistan onto the next rungs of the ladder, but first he must earn the time required to do his work. Alas, such is the life of a Pakistan cricket coach.

Whilst Geoffrey Boycott may not care about the Asia Cup; there are many individuals and groups in Pakistan, for whom this tournament will be critical.

The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.