After leading the Pakistan side to a come-from-behind victory in the Champions Trophy last year, skipper Sarfraz Ahmed finds himself overworked and in a corner due to the national side's performance in recent months.
Despite entering the Asia Cup as overwhelming favourites due to the presence of world-class pacers, the Men in Green failed to perform as a unit, putting up dismal displays in the tournament, along with losing two one-sided clashes against India at their familiar conditions in UAE.
Hopes were riding high on the side in the two-match Test series against Australia as well, who were playing their first series since the infamous Sandpaper Gate. With three debutants in their ranks and a captain who was short in confidence, it was Pakistan's series for the taking and the script seemed to go according to plan for the first four days of the first match at Dubai.
However, contrary to all predictions, the Aussie unit, led by a belligerent knock of 141 by Usman Khawaja, survived 139.5 overs in the fourth innings in stifling conditions to end with a draw and all attention shifted to Sarfraz's captaincy that lacked sting and had plenty of immature decisions.
The side needed to attack with their two best bowlers - Yasir Shah and Mohammad Abbas - on the morning of the fifth day to ensure that the rivals did not get their feet in, but it was Bilal Asif and Wahab Riaz who started the proceedings for Pakistan, bowling for almost 40 minutes in tandem.
This not only allowed Khawaja, who has a poor record against Yasir to settle in, but also helped him score some easy boundaries to release the pressure.
Once two quick wickets fell in the second session, Sarfraz took the new ball and surprisingly did not let Abbas exploit it. He was given the ball after it was 16-overs-old, while Mohammad Hafeez and Haris Sohail were giving the responsibility of bowling with the new ball.
With neither looking threatening, his captaincy was baffling and coach Mickey Arthur was forthright in his disappointment.
Reports suggest that the Pakistani unit is unhappy with the wicket-keeper's leadership skills and with eight months yet to go for the World Cup, a change at the top could do wonders for cricket in the nation.
