Just when things start to look really bleak for Pakistan cricket, it gets a shot in the arm almost out of the blue. Last week, we saw fast bowler Mohammad Irfan getting slapped with a one-year ban for his role in the PSL spot-fixing scandal. Several other Pakistani cricketers are also facing similar, even stricter punishment as the trial to bring the PSL corruption scam culprits to book continues. Didn’t look good for Pakistan cricket, did it?

Then came the news from across the border claiming that the Indian cricket board (BCCI) will soon seek permission from its government to resume bilateral cricketing ties with Pakistan. But Shaharyar Khan, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman wasted little time in ruling out such a possibility and instead declared that his board will soon take the Indians to court over their inability to honour a commitment that binds them to play bilateral series with Pakistan. Haven’t we heard that before? Our cricket chiefs have been cribbing about India’s refusal to play against us despite the fact that they have signed an MoU, for the longest time. The PCB bosses have time and again threatened to drag BCCI to court. So what’s stopping them? Each time they make a threat but fail to follow up on it. That’s why Shaharyar’s latest threat sounded pretty hollow. Didn’t look good for Pakistan cricket, did it?

The octogenarian ex-diplomat also revealed that he is planning to step down as PCB chairman. Shaharyar’s announcement was followed by rumours that Najam Sethi will soon return as the board’s chairman. Sounded like déjà vu, didn’t it?

But in the midst of all this madness, there was this breath of fresh air for dejected Pakistani cricket fans. And the person responsible for it was an 18-year-old kid from Mianwali. Shadab Khan provided the supporters of Pakistan cricket with an island of joy in the middle of a stormy sea. The young leg-spinner made an incredible debut with match-winning figures of 3-7 in the tour-opening Twenty20 International against the West Indies in Barbados and then followed it up with yet another stunning display of lethal leg-spin in the second game in Trinidad. He was man-of-the-match again as Pakistan went 2-0 up in the four-game series.

It was after a long time that Pakistan cricket has been blessed with such an exciting talent. Perhaps, the last time we saw such a gifted Pakistani youngster announcing his arrival to the cricket world was when Mohammad Amir made his international debut in the summer of 2009. Amir wasted little time in making his bones as one of the most feared fast bowlers in international cricket. Shadab, too, looks set to join the ranks of the most lethal spinners of the world.

One hopes that the comparison ends here. We all know what Amir did next. One also hopes that the people at the helm of Pakistan cricket are geared towards shielding talented youngsters like Shadab from the widespread fixing syndicates than they were back in 2010 when Amir and two other national cricketers were allowed to tarnish the image of Pakistan cricket. If the PSL corruption scandal is any yardstick then I’m sorry to say that things haven’t really improved.

Two of Shadab’s Islamabad United team-mates - Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif - are facing life bans over allegations that they played the lead role in the PSL spot-fixing case. Another one, Mohammad Irfan, has already been banned. That’s the sort of toxic environment that has welcomed the rise of Shadab as a young star. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise for rookies like Shadab. They are getting first-hand knowledge of the seamy underbelly of international cricket. By handing exemplary punishment to any players who are found guilty of corrupt practices our cricket authorities can make sure that other cricketers won’t easily fall prey to gambling mafias in the future.

Meanwhile, one hopes that Shadab will continue to do what he does best - bamboozle rival batsmen with his guile. He is lucky to have Sarfraz Ahmed as his captain. After having taken the reins of the Twenty20 team from Shahid Afridi in the aftermath of last year’s World T20 championship in India, Sarfraz has turned an under-performing, fragmented group of players into a winning unit. Pakistan have won all the six T20 games they’ve played so far under Sarfraz’s leadership. That includes winning five matches in a row (before Saturday’s third T20 match) against the West Indies, the reigning world Twenty20 champions. The first one came against a formidable England team in their own backyard. Sarfraz has certainly made a world of a difference after taking over as Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain. He has also succeeded Azhar Ali as the ODI skipper and Pakistan’s fans must be hoping that he will also revive the team’s flagging fortunes in the 50-over format. Sarfraz and Co will be taking on West Indies in a three-match ODI series getting underway on April 7 at Providence (Guyana). Pakistan have to win the series to stay on course for a direct berth in World Cup 2019 to be held in England. With match-winners like Shadab in the touring party, the Pakistanis shouldn’t disappoint.