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Pakistan's amazing victory over South Africa in the 2nd ODI at Abu Dhabi defies rational explanation. We've covered a lot of Pakistan on the Sofa these last six months; 6 tests, 6 T20s and a squilion ODIs. To be quite frank with you I had lost patience with their so called "mercurial" performances. Rather a pattern of shocking incompetence with the bat, and some pretty decent depth in bowling had emerged. I was throroughly weary with Afridi's infantility with bat in hand and baffled as to why no one seemed to relish the long haul. In addition, when you're that clueless up the order, why in heaven's name not bowl first and keep yourself in the match?

Well yesterday all those tedious one sided hammerings were forgotten in a blitz of brain melting, eye popping brilliance from Abdul Razzaq. If you were watching, Shane Warne, I give you a new contender for best hundred of all time. An innings that no Pathan, Irfan, Yousuf or Shahid Afridi come to that, could have played. He was so tightly in the zone that whatever the Saffers were going to serve up (and I know Albie Morkel is trully awful) was going to fly into the serried ranks of adoring ex pats who had surely given up the ghost long ago.

But in that astonishing innings lies the root of Pakistan's problems. Like apes and typewriters, if Afridi, Razzaq and co play enough ODIs they will eventually produce an innings of Shakespearean brilliance. For lest we forget, Pakistan were hammered again yesterday for pretty much the entire match. Again they fielded diabolically. Again Akhtar looked the part until he released the ball. Saeed Ajmal was a shadow of his former self and the top order left Razzaq with a mountain to climb. That he scaled the mountain should not disguise the abject performances of his colleagues, and if we confidently expect him to do it again in the next three matches we need our heads examining.

One thing that can be said with absolute certainty is that Pakistan need to bowl first. They have down the order batsmen who can perform the seemingly impossible, but only if there's a carrot worth chasing.

These last six months have taught me what an onerous life it is to be a Pakistan fan. They say it's the hardest thing in the cricketing world. One day they're great, the next they're awful. I would modify that. Mostly they are a disgraceful abomination to their fans. Once in a blue moon they are entirely matchless. And frankly, if you get to watch an innings like Razzaq's, maybe that's enough.