KARACHI, Oct 8: After three days of bizarre and bewildering off-the-field happenings, sanity finally prevailed and the health of Pakistan cricket was partially restored after Younis Khan got reinstated to his rightful position as captain while Inzamam-ul-Haq serves out his four-match ODI sentence.

At this stage it is pointless to figure out as to why Younis got overtly enraged at something that led to his dramatic decision to quit the captaincy just two days before the team was to head off for the ICC Champions Trophy in India.

Critics may argue that Younis's reaction was rather childish and merited strong disciplinary action. But if judged how things are managed and operated in the realm of Pakistan cricket, the uncompromising Younis was perhaps within his right to protest as he so vehemently did.

However, the biggest talking point is not about Younis resigning the captaincy one day and then getting reinstated hours before the Pakistan squad was due to fly out from Lahore, it is the change in between the two events.

The news of Shaharyar M. Khan being told to head back to Malir, his place of residence, and replaced by another bureaucrat Dr Nasim Ashraf as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board arrived as a bombshell.

This sudden change of command, which has taken everyone by surprise, comes at a time when Pakistan have still to sort out the 'leftovers' of The Oval Test ball-tampering saga.

Dr Nasim is the fourth man handpicked by President Pervez Musharraf since Oct 12, 1999 to run the PCB, which itself is operating on an ad hoc basis from July 17, 1999 onwards.

Dr Nasim must have watched his immediate predecessor work while serving his time, initially as member of a PCB advisory council, and then on the ad hoc committee.

So Dr Nasim shouldn't consider himself a stranger in the corridors of arguably the richest sports body in the country. He must know most of the key personnel at the cricket board's headquarters at the Qadhafi Stadium in Lahore inside out during his frequent contacts in the past 18 months or thereabouts.

The 72-year-old Shaharyar Mohammad Khan, the former diplomat, the former ambassador (the former high commissioner) and the former foreign secretary, took charge of the PCB's hot seat on Dec 15, 2003 shortly after the more dominating Lt Gen Tauqir Zia, a one-time close aide of President Musharraf, threw in the towel after a spate of media criticism at his cricketing policies.

During his first press conference shortly after taking over, Shaharyar promised a change within the PCB setup in a timeframe of six months. He pledged to follow a policy of transparency, merit and financial probity as the first steps towards uplifting the PCB's image.

But those promises gradually became unfulfilled and nothing changed dramatically as Shaharyar, who has a habit of contradicting himself now and then, had so promisingly assured then. The only notable changes, if any, was the revival of Pakistan-India Test tours, the hiring of Bob Woolmer in 2004 as the national coach for a period leading to the ICC Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean next spring and securing Asia's bid to host the 2011 quadrangular showpiece.

More or less, Shaharyar did little to appease those who had been calling for a grand change in the PCB. As the time ticked by, we heard less of the so-called accountability process that Shaharyar had so profoundly promised in his countless press briefings.

Instead Shaharyar ended up doing even less than his predecessor, Tauqir Zia, did as he continued to rely on the advice of his close friends who were in turn allegedly pampered with lucrative contracts plus other privileges and perks.

Of course, like everyone else, Shaharyar had a number of detractors in his own team. One of his directors made no secret of his desire to sideline the ageing chairman whose term was due to expire in December. Well now that gentleman has finally got his wish come true two months in advance.

The saddest part of the Shaharyar legacy was the promise to run the PCB on a democratic system. That system is yet to see the daylight while more than seven years have passed on and the cricket associations across the country having no say whatsoever.

To his credit, Shaharyar may claim that he did his best to prepare a new constitution in order to restore democracy in the PCB, but insiders revealed that some of the clauses in the drafted material met with fierce resistance from the high command.

As things stand, the PCB continues to grope in the dark as it stumbles to regain credibility and respect.

The cricketing acumen of Dr Nasim is still unknown. It remains to be seen how long this civil servant is able to survive the onslaught before the musical chair springs yet another new chairman.

The biggest challenge that confronts Dr Nasim at this very moment is the cancerous player-power syndrome that plagues Pakistan cricket. The Younis episode was probably triggered by this dreadful malady with some of the senior players reportedly expressing their dismay having to play under the articulate Younis Khan, while pledging their loyalty to Inzamam.

With the World Cup now so close, we could have a few more surprises in store while Dr Nasim snuggles into the PCB chairman's seat and chalks out his future plans. The probability of Younis taking over as full-time Pakistan captain cannot be ruled out after the Champions Trophy.