Not any more! Pakistan have crashed to big defeats in their last four Twenty20 Internationals - two against England in Cardiff last month and the other couple of defeats came at the hands of South Africa in Abu Dhabi more recently.

His team's dismal performance in Twenty20 matches forced Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi to confess that his is not a good team when it comes to the shortest format of the game.

"We have a good one-day team at the moment but I can't say the same about our Twenty20 line-up. It's a pretty ordinary team as it doesn't have many Twenty20 specialists," Afridi told Arab News after his team suffered a 2-0 defeat in the series against South Africa.

It's a surprising statement considering the fact that till 2009, Pakistan were officially the best Twenty20 team in the world. With the best success ratio and the ICC World Twenty20 title under their belt, Pakistan was brimming with some exciting talent. With Shahid Afridi - the most successful Twenty20 all-rounder and pacer Umar Gul in the line-up, the Greenshirts seemed to have the best talent for the slam-bang version of cricket.

So what has happened to our Twenty20 squad? The biggest problem, according to some insiders, is that the national selectors have failed to identify the players who are best suited to the Twenty20 format. With an eye on World Cup 2011 - which begins next February - the selectors have been picking players on the basis of their one-day and even Test credentials. Their decision to put faith in such players has affected the Twenty20 line-up.

It has also created a rift within Pakistan cricket. All is certainly not well in the Pakistan camp as one keeps hearing complaints from someone or the other that a power tussle is having an adverse affect on the team's performance.

The way Pakistan succumbed against South Africa in back-to-back Twenty20 games in Abu Dhabi is a clear proof that the team is far from a well-oiled, well-drilled unit that can go on and make its presence felt in the World Cup.

The clock is ticking.

Pakistan will have to work overtime and put their under-achieving team back on track ahead of the World Cup to be played in Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. They have a series of One-day Internationals - against South Arica in the United Arab Emirates and against the Black Caps in New Zealand - before the World Cup and will have to make good use of those games. Too many losses in the lead up to the World Cup will only put more pressure on a team that is dogged by scandals and internal rifts.

Pakistan's cricket chiefs have chosen Afridi to lead Pakistan in the World Cup. They will have to show more faith in his leadership abilities and put an end to the speculations surrounding his captaincy. The morning after Pakistan lost their opening Twenty20 game in Abu Dhabi, rumors started circulating in national cricket circles that the Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to install senior batsman Misbah-ul-Haq as the new one-day captain. Such uncertainty might further lower the team's morale. The PCB will have to take a final decision about the team’s captain for the World Cup and then stick to it.

The selectors, too, should follow suit. The World Cup is just about 15 weeks away and there is no time for any more experimentation. They should be clear about the 15 men that will be representing Pakistan in the quadrennial spectacle.

At this point of time, Pakistan cricket needs a few shots in the arm.

It will receive a big boost if the national team excels at the World Cup unlike in the previous two editions in 2003 and 2007 when it flopped miserably.

Unfortunately, signs are not good. Our selectors look confused; our cricket chiefs continue to repeat the same mistakes while the players are failing to live up to expectations. It feels like déjà vu all over again.