Pakistan rising?

You can’t talk about Pakistan at the moment without lingering a moment on Bob Woolmer, the newly-appointed coach. Throughout their history in international cricket, Pakistan have had the talent and drive to shock the best teams on any given day. The flip side is that their day comes infrequently, and discipline, unity and planning is often sorely lacking. Those three facets are exactly what Woolmer brings to the table. In the last two one-day tournaments they have played – the Asia Cup and the Videocon Cup – Pakistan have beaten India. Now, in the Champions Trophy, they have already made noises about making it three in three. Shoaib Akhtar is still the major force, but now he isn’t the only one. Shoaib Malik has come along nicely to partner Inzamam-ul-Haq and Yousuf Youhana in the middle order, and Abdul Razzaq gives the team an allround edge, and ensures that they bat low. If Pakistan push past India, they will become certain contenders for the title, given the knock-out format of the ICC Champions Trophy…