David Leggat: Never a dull moment in mad world of Pakistan cricket

At a quick glance, another normal week in the world of international cricket has just passed.

England are easing their way through Bangladesh; Australia, after a couple of black eyes within four days last week, have reasserted themselves against New Zealand.

They'd call it normal transmission; New Zealand will be rueing lost opportunities.

But any time you're thinking life in all pretty ho-hum in the world of cricket, cast your eyes in the direction of Pakistan. Life may be many things there; dull it is not.

They have security issues which are far beyond the scope of its cricket authorities, but in any case they are well capable of making a pig's ear out of basic sporting administration at the best of times.

They have cricket's most extraordinary chief executive in Ijaz Butt, a man who could create controversy in an empty room.

The simple backdrop: Pakistan's board, unhappy at events on the tours of New Zealand and, more particularly, Australia, decided action had to be taken.

They had drawn the three-test series here, but were whipped 3-0 by the Aussies, then lost their ODI series 5-0 plus the solitary Twenty20 match.

Off the park internal ructions further filled out a sorry picture. It was all too much for the good men of the PCB.

And when they decide to act, there are no half measures, no mild censuring. The recipients of punishments get a decent shoe-ing.

So out go captain Mohammad Yousuf; the man he replaced, Younis Khan; allrounder Shoaib Malik and medium pacer Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, the first two for indefinite periods, the second pair for a year.

Yousuf and Younis are rubbed out, effectively blamed for causing strife within the squad.

Malik is reputed to be a dressing room agent provocateur, and no one knows what Rana - who has no previous disciplinary black marks - did to earn his holiday.

Colourful ball eater Shahid Afridi and the Flying Akmal brothers, wicketkeeper Kamran and teenage prodigy Umer, received hefty fines, to no surprise for their mischief-making in Australia.

Younis, Yousuf, Malik and Afridi are Pakistan's four most recent captains in the various forms of the international game.

Players were forever conspiring against the admirable Younis; Yousuf and Malik constantly bickered with each other.

It should immediately be made clear that a week is a lifetime when it comes to Pakistani cricket politics.

These decisions could be reversed next week, but for now fury at the punishments is swirling round the head of Butt and his cronies.

"It is a huge shock for me," newly installed coach, the former champion speedster Waqar Younis said, as you would with half your team rubbed out ahead of their defence of the world Twenty20 title just over a month away.

He is due to arrive in Lahore next week from his Sydney home. It is unclear if he has a return ticket.

"It is a big step the board has taken and I hope they have solid evidence for taking the actions that they have taken," he added.

A new selection panel had just been installed, headed by the elegant former test opener Mohsin Khan. The old smoothie, a former Bollywood star, is probably wondering what he's stepped in to.

Pakistan newspaper Dawn harrumphed long and loud this week. The queue heading for the guillotine "ought to have been headed by Ijaz Butt and his inner circle".

"When it comes to ineptitude they have outshone the standard-bearers of incompetence that preceded them - and that, mind you, takes some doing in an organisation so shoddy as the Pakistan board." Dull? Never.