Now that Malik and the current Pakistani team has been exposed for what they are. I suggest now is the perfect time to make a few prudent rectifications.

First and foremost, spare Pakistan and Malik of any further misery and strip Malik of the captaincy. His tenure has been disasterous and we all know the chargesheet against him now. Its time for a change, a year at the helm is more then enough and please Malik is no Graeme Smith that is clear. The only logical choice right now appears to be Younis Khan and i am pretty certain he will accept the job this time as he realizes that there is no other choice besides him and that everyone is depending on him this time around.

Second we need to realize that we cannot do without some of the ICL players. We cannot live in denial, the ICL players i want back are Razzaq, Rana, Mohammad Yousaf and Imran Nazir. These guys were dropped especially Razzaq for poor performances, commitment but time flies, people make mistakes and we cannot hold that against them forever. Our batting line up without Yousaf is extremely weak and with Misbah being mistaken for a senior player, we cannot afford to lose Yousaf. Rana and Tanvir in my view are more of the same but Rana is an even more aggressive wicket taking bowler compared to Tanvir and Rana was very decent in ODI's. Finally Nazir, he is obviously the most controversial choice but like Afridi he is best utilized when he is told to murder the opposition. Most teams around the world have an explosive opener at the top and Nazir should be given a chance. If we have a defensive player like Manzoor getting out for 3 runs of 40 deliveries or Nazir getting out for 3 runs of 2 deliveries then whats the difference? Atleast Nazir isnt hurting his team in the process.

Third, this does not mean we should turn our backs on talented youngsters in domestic cricket. Our pool of domestic players should consist of the likes of Sohail Khan, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Talha, Anwar Ali, Akhtar Ayub e.t.c. Its time for an aggressive strategy and that is to play the set of bowlers who are most likely to win you matches and i believe we need to forgo this inbuilt culture by Woolmer, Inzi of line and length medium pacers and go back to the Imran Khan, Wasim Akram philosophy of 90 mph pacers going all out for wickets and not worrying about runs. I would play Sohail Khan, Talha and co with Akhtar and Gul on a consistent basis, that is one way he can learn and if these young guys perform they could keep everyone in check.

Fourth, there has obviously been a great deal of debate on Shoaib Akhtar and Shahid Afridi. For Akhtar i would agree that while age is not on his side but that does not mean he should be stopped unethically from being a part of the team if he wants to play and contribute something positive for Pakistan. He has lacked pace in this series so far but we must give him the benefit of the doubt because this was his first real game in 11 months and its not easy to come out full guns blazing. I would judge him after 2 or more series at best. As far as Afridi is concerned, he should only open in ODI cricket and be told to blast away in the first 15 overs like he used to in the past without having to worry about anything else and be given a consistent run in that role. If he still fails then you can consider dropping him but having Afridi as opener gives us an option to play another allrounder.

Fifth, we need to look for a fast bowling allrounder i.e. Someone who can bowl at 85 mph and bat decently as well. Yasir Arafat was there but in my view he lacks fitness and is only rapid in his first spell and then progressively declines in terms of speed and effectiveness. We need to go overdrive on this. We need to groove a replacement for Razzaq, Mahmood e.t.c. Having a Flintoff type all rounder adds tremendous balance to the side.

Sixth, our spin options are terrible. We are now slowly going through the Australian way. I am sure we must have some decent spinners in domestic cricket who can bat as well. I am extremely livid with Malik for not taking his bowling seriously as he could have given some much needed balance to the team. I think we also need to reevaluate whether Kaneria can play ODI cricket or no. But for that we will have to improve his fielding big time.

Seventh We need to get rid of Akmal. Osman Samiuddin summed it beautifully. You cannot have a keeper who drops 2-3 catches in a game and having such a keeper is extremely demoralizing for the bowlers who work hard but end up getting nothing in the end. We need a keeper who can take his catches, runs are immaterial.

Eigth, we as fans also need to be more patient. Results are not going to come immediately, in fact there will be plenty of wrist slitting, crying, screaming and depression before the team starts winning again. But there are some basic things i as a Pakistani fan want from the team which are to play the strongest 11 at all times with as many match winners as possible, to play with an aggressive fight to the death strategy, to be led by a captain who is astute in terms of field placings in various match situations, innovative in bowling changes, proactive and inspirational in the field. Basically none of the traits that Malik has shown so far in his tenure.

So if yesterday's humiliation can kick start this process towards long term rehabilitation and success then it will be in my books the best thing to have ever happened to the Pakistani team.