Their key pacer in Twenty20 format — Umar Gul — has been ruled out of the Caribbean assignment because of a shoulder injury. Gul's exit has come as a huge blow for Pakistan since he was their leading bowler in the previous two editions of the World Twenty20 in South Africa and England.

But perhaps more importantly, there is this sudden dip in motivation among the key team members.

Officially, they will tell you that everything is perfectly fine and that the Pakistan dressing room is bubbling with team spirit.

But privately, some of them will confide in you that there are serious unresolved issues and the Pakistan Cricket Board's strange way of dealing with things has a lot to do with it.

The latest episode to have hit the Pakistan camp is the farcical way in which the PCB decided to replace the injured Umar Gul and Yasir Arafat.

On Sunday, Pakistan coach Waqar Younis, skipper Shahid Afridi and chief selector Mohsin Hasan Khan met in Lahore on the sidelines of a preparatory camp for the World Twenty20 and decided to name fast bowlers Mohammad Sami and Mohammad Irfan as the replacements.

In a bizarre twist, the PCB clarified a few hours later that the trio's recommendations are yet to be approved by Board chairman Ijaz Butt, who was in Dubai. Apparently the trio didn't follow procedure.

On Monday, Butt decided to show who's boss by forcing the selection committee to pick left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman as a replacement for Arafat. He was apparently okay with the selection of Sami, whom the PCB top brass had even refused to offer a stipend a few weeks ago saying that he didn't really deserve it.

Team sources told Arab News on Tuesday that both Afridi and Waqar are unhappy with Butt's direct interference in team matters.

The two weren't even consulted when Pakistan just rushed to name their 30-man preliminary squad for the World Twenty20 last month. And after being snubbed by the Board over the replacement players, the duo was left seething.

Sources said that initially Afridi was all for the inclusion of big-hitting opener Shahzaib Hasan in the touring party as a replacement for Arafat. But the captain was told by the chief selector that he already has four 'opening' options. "Afridi was told that he already has four openers in Salman Butt, Mohammad Hafeez, Khalid Latif and Kamran Akmal. Then there is this option for Afridi to open himself if needed." Afridi was of the view that players like Salman Butt are hardly good options to open in Twenty20 Internationals. The Pakistan captain believes that his team would instead need somebody like Shahzaib, arguing that the youngster has the ability to hit the big boundaries - something that he proved in the 2009 World Twenty20 in England.

However, after Shahzaib was ruled out by the chief selector, Afridi and Waqar managed to convince that they would like to have a fast bowler in the squad. But since there were no fit bowlers available from the injury-hit 30-man list, it was decided to go for Irfan, who has really impressed top Pakistan batsmen like Umar Akmal and his elder brother Kamran in a few domestic matches this season.

But even after throwing their weight behind Irfan, Afridi and Waqar were unable to get the fast bowler selected for the World Twenty20.

"There is this feeling of helplessness in the Pakistan camp and it's unlikely to go away any time soon," said a well-placed source.

"As captain Afridi is of the view that the authorities should respect his assessment of the players. He believes that as captain it's his responsibility to get the best out of the team. But the problem is that he can't even identify with many of the players who've been selected in the team without even taking him in confidence." As the reigning champions and the most successful team in the Twenty20 format, hopes are high in Pakistan that Shahid Afridi's men will defend the crown in the Caribbean. But will they be able to do it is a different question.