Time for Misbah to wield axe on 'hard-hitting' failures Fakhar Zaman and Asif Ali.

CANBERRA -- Cricket is arguably Pakistan's second most favourite pastime after politics, and so it is no surprise that rise or fall in this sport affects the overall mood of the nation. After a rather decent World Cup in the summer, when the Men in Green narrowly missed out on a spot in the semis because of their inferior run rate, there were calls for a change in the setup so that next level could be reached. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) obliged by appointing a new coach and a new chief selector in the form of Misbah-ul-Haq. As all-powerful Misbah assumed the reins, things started to change.

Out went senior duo of Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik from white ball cricket, while in came the 'tried-and-tested' duo of...