Pakistan's 17 man squad selected to face the might of England followed by the Australian giants, is off to England with bright hopes of coming out of the 'defeat syndrome' which has dogged them for sometime. A blend of youth and experience, the contingent seems determined to leave all the trials and tribulations behind to look to the future with full hopes and aspirations.

After playing a few practice matches, the team shall jump into the field to contest a series of 2 Test matches starting on May 17 at the two famous grounds, Lords and the Old Trafford. This will be followed by a thriller of a 10-match limited-overs triangular between England, Pakistan and Australia. Late in June Pakistan will make their way home and leave Australia and England to fight out the famous battle of the 'Ashes'.

Although a very talented outfit, Pakistan has somehow failed to live up to its capabilities and lost more matches than won with the worst being the recent disaster at Sharjah. This sent a wave of disappointment among cricket fans who wonder whether to attribute this lacklustre performance to fluctuating fortunes or to the team's proverbial trait of 'unpredictability'.

The team was almost on the path of success on the last New Zealand tour, when all of a sudden it slipped down the rock, turning an apparently victorious test series into a disgusting draw followed by a shameful loss of the one-day series. To many this indicated the team's unbalanced behaviour and lack of fighting spirit and led to wholesale changes carried out by PCB. Some players were dropped and a new coach and a new captain were appointed.

During the last couple of years the Pakistan team earned a mixed bag of victories and defeats. The team lost the ICC Knock Out at Kenya followed by the Tri-nation Tournament at Singapore but won the Asia Cup in Bangladesh. And, last year, lost the Test series to England at home but managed to clinch the One-day series.

As a matter of fact the team suffered from multifarious problems, which could be termed as a fait accompli. A lot of youngsters were inducted into the team perhaps prematurely because they obviously needed time to adjust themselves into the higher strata and perform well. It's heartening to note the some of them have done so admirably well.

Former captain Javed Miandad, who happened to be one of the top cricketers of his times, was brought in as coach with high hopes of elevating the team's efficiency as well as spirits but the result was otherwise. It was felt that since the coach and some senior players were not operating on the same wavelength, the team's performance was badly affected.

Obsessed with the idea of hiring a foreign coach despite the fact that most of our young players do not understand English, the PCB continued with its hunt for a foreigner. Stalwarts like Greg Chappell, Barry Richards and Daryl Foster having shown their non-availability, the coin rested on Richard Pybus who has been contracted for the duration of the England tour. Pybus who is said to be more of a physical trainer than a coach has already had a stint with the team during the World Cup 99. Even if he keeps the boys physically fit and alert and helps them in improving their fielding, his presence would be worthwhile. Let us hope the problem is solved for the time being.

Another issue that gave anxious moments to the team as well as the cricket administration was the dilemma of Shoaib Akhtar's bowling. Reported for a suspect bowling action twice, he was sent to Perth's University of Western Australia where he worked on his bowling under the guidance of former speedster Dennis Lillee and a bowling coach Daryl Foster. Cleared by the technical staff and the two cricket experts he is now expected to be an effective member of Pakistan's battery of speed merchants. Many observers, however, cast doubts on his physical fitness. Let us hope he can endure the whole tour to come face to face with his rival Bret Lee in the Triangular series. Like Shoaib, Lee is also aspiring to break the existing speed record.

In the quest for replacing Moin Khan two young wicket keepers namely Atiq-uz-Zaman and Humayun Farhat were awarded test caps. As luck would have it, Humayun's poor keeping in the final at Sharjah paved way for the recall of old stalwart Rashid Latif, who was an outstanding wicket keeper during his heyday. One can only wish him the best of luck and hope his 3 years absence from international cricket has not deteriorated his reflexes, speed and agility.

Though Pakistan enjoys the distinction of winning the last 3 series on English soil, we should not rest on the old laurels. The circumstances are changed. It is a new team under a new captain whose half a dozen members shall be confronting England's soil, weather, pitches and the overall atmosphere for the first time.

In the overall analysis, the squad is well balanced with 3 outstanding speedsters in Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar who can depend on effective support from Azhar Mahmood and Abdur Razzaq. The spin duo of Mushtaq Ahmed and Saqlain Mushtaq is quite capable of routing the opponents on their day.

The batting shall revolve around stalwarts like Saeed Anwar, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Yousuf Youhana and Abdur Razzaq while others shall have to acclimatise themselves well enough to gain mastery over the swing and bounce of the ball. The preparation at home being far from impressive, the boys shall have to make the best use of the 2 weeks period - weather permitting - available before the 1st Test.

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