Nokia N8 Mobile Phone Review

The Nokia N8 is the first Symbian^3 smartphone released globally and big emphasis is placed on its imaging capabilities. With 12 megapixel sensor, Carl Zeiss optics, and Xenon flash, the N8 takes amazing photos. However, we’re talking about a phone here. Is the Nokia N8 with the latest Symbian OS good enough to be your daily device? Read on for The Nokia Blog review.

SALES PACKAGE

You can view the unboxing video here. The sales package includes:

• Nokia N8 mobile computer
• Nokia Connectivity Cable CA-179
• Nokia Stereo Headset WH-701
• Nokia Compact Travel Charger AC-15
• Nokia Adapter Cable for HDMI CA-156
• Nokia Adapter Cable for USB OTG CA-157
• Nokia Stylus SU-36 (selected markets only)
• Quick start guide

HARDWARE

The Nokia N8 feels great in your hand. It’s mostly made from anodized aluminum which comes in vibrant colors. The chrome accents around the camera lens, camera button, and volume controls get the thumbs up too. There are no wiggly parts and the buttons all feel solid. As expected, the hardware design is top-notch. The build quality is excellent, too. The screen is made of gorilla glass which is damage and scratch resistant. I tried scratching the display with my keys using a lot of force and did not notice any effect.
The Nokia N8 isn’t the thinnest phone in the world, but it sits comfortably in the pocket. It measures 113.5 x 59 x 12.9 mm and weighs 135g. Here’s a quick comparison with a few other devices.

Nokia N8 vs Samsung Galaxy S vs Nexus One

I have 2 complaints with the hardware. I wish the menu button was placed in the middle instead of the left corner. It requires more effort than it should to reach that button single-handedly. Another problem I had is the microUSB port stopped working after a couple of weeks. I haven’t found anyone else online with this problem, so I don’t think it’s a widespread problem
Internals. Inside the Nokia N8 is an ARM 11 microprocessor clocked at 680 MHz with 256MB RAM. All the latest Symbian^3 devices such as the C7, E7, and C6-01 have the same CPU and RAM. This is an increase from previous Nokia devices, but not as high as the numbers featured in the latest devices from other manufacturers such as HTC, Samsung, or Motorola. Some would argue that Symbian has better memory and CPU management compared to other smartphone OS out there and I have to agree. I haven’t seen any memory full messages, but I wouldn’t exactly say the Nokia N8 as a speedy device. It zips through menus, photos, and apps, but the app that’s not very fast is an important one: the web browser. Large websites like Engadget take so much longer to load on the Nokia N8 than the iPhone or Android devices I’ve played with such as the T-mobile G2 and Nexus One.
Connectors. The Nokia N8 features an HDMI connection so you can easily show off your images, videos and music on compatible televisions and projectors. The USB-on-the-Go adapter is cool as well. You can connect your USB flash drives and access those files directly from the Nokia N8. I’m not clear on what works and what doesn’t, but my 1TB external drive and compactflash reader are unreadable by the Nokia N8. USB thumb drives work fine.

HDMI out

Display. The Nokia N8 has a 3.5 inch display with 640×360 resolution. That’s a pixel density of 209.8 according to this PPI calculator. Let’s compare it to other devices using the same calculator:

These numbers tell us that the Nokia N8′s display isn’t as sharp as the competition. The more pixels you have in an inch, the more information they can represent, and so the clearer and sharper the picture. The difference in sharpness between the Nokia N8 and the iPhone 4 is huge. You really have to see it in person to understand. The difference between the other devices aren’t that noticeable. On a positive note, the AMOLED display on the Nokia N8 performs really well outdoors even in bright sunlight. It also consumes less power and shows more vibrant colors than the LCD displays used in previous Nokia devices.
Speakers. Call quality is loud and clear on all the calls I’ve placed and received. Listening to music, the speakers are reasonably loud and have nothing to complain about. The location of the loudspeaker is at the back of the phone. That seems to be the favorite spot for new devices even from other manufacturers.

CAMERA

The Nokia N8 is a photographer’s dream phone. The images it produces are awesome and it’s really quick to share what you capture. The cameras on Nokia Nseries devices have always been ahead of the competition, but the Nokia N8 really shines. Nokia combined the largest sensor ever put into a mobile for incredible detail with Carl Zeiss optics and a hands-off attitude with imaging software to produce really natural photos.
Take a look at these two sample photos I uploaded seconds after capturing them.


Now look at the 100% crops (you can see these for yourself by clicking on the Flickr photos above, then view original size). “Holy Sh#t!” was exactly what I said after seeing the close-up shots.


Since we’re talking about zoom and crops, I’ll mention that the digital zoom on the Nokia N8 is actually usable. I usually stay away from digital zoom, but I was surprised with the results. Here’s a photo of Sprint CEO Dan Hesse with zoom on the Nokia N8 set to the max. (Click on the photo to view larger size).

Another great addition to the Nokia N8′s camera is the Nokia Panorama app available from the Ovi Store. I was in San Francisco when this app came out. I downloaded it in the morning, tried it on the Golden Gate Bridge, shared it online within seconds, and found out later that night it got Explored front pageon Flickr! As of publishing this review, the photo has been viewed over 6,700 times.

Click photo to enlarge
If you’re not convinced by now, the Nokia N8 also has Xenon flash for those photos at night or low light situations. Cameraphone fans who held on to theNokia N82 because of the xenon flash finally have something to update to. Goodbye blurry night photos! Here’s a sample portrait with the xenon flash firing on the Nokia N8. Thanks to Jeb Brilliant for showing us how the humongous 5-inch Dell Streak looks next to his head when making calls.

Video. The Nokia N8 captures HD video at 720p and 25FPS. It uses a system called Active Hyper-focal Distance which means anything from 2 feet to infinity appear in focus. This is great for moving objects and in low light without focus hunting. Digital zoom also works great thanks to the large sensor. For optimal results, don’t pan or move the camera too fast while recording. Here are a couple of samples. They’re viewable on Youtube at 720p.


If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve probably seen these photos and videos already because I like to share what I capture right away. I upload the photos to Twitpic and Flickr, then videos to Facebook and Twitvid directly from the Nokia N8. This is possible thanks to the awesome Pixelpipe app that is free and available at the Ovi Store.

SOFTWARE

The Nokia N8 runs Symbian^3. It’s the same OS on the new devices announced at Nokia World: the C7, E7, and C6-01. If you’re coming from a Symbian^1 device, this latest version introduces advances such as multiple homescreens, visual multitasking, music cover flow, and multitouch pinch-to-zoom. Menu structures are more streamlined and the UI moves at 60 frames per second. You can see lists scroll quickly and fluidly on the music player, contacts, messaging, conversation, etc. The dedicated Broadcom graphics processor is responsible for this. It’s certainly the best version of Symbian yet, but it’s far from perfect.
Keyboard. Typing on our devices is very important, but it seems Nokia did not spend enough resources on this aspect of Symbian^3. One massive letdown is a missing portrait keyboard. Instead, we’re looking at an on-screen numeric keypad. If you’ve been using Symbian your whole life, it’s probably not a big deal, but if you’ve used an iPhone or Android device, it’s a shocker! You have to turn the Nokia N8 sideways to type with the QWERTY keyboard. This input takes some time to get used to and I strongly feel that Nokia’s designers could have done better by simply moving some of the buttons around. One thing that bothered me is that the backspace button is all the way at the bottom and the return key is to the left of it. Every keyboard I’ve used always had the return key below the backspace. You might think I’m crazy, but it felt like I had to relearn typing with the Nokia N8′s keyboard layout. It took many days for me to finally get used to it. If you’re willing to wait, word on the net is Swype will be releasing for the Nokia N8 soon with portrait QWERTY.
Here’s a photo of the keyboard layout compared to others.

Here’s a photoshopped layout of how I’d move the buttons around.

Email. Nokia Messaging on the Nokia N8 and Symbian^3 has noticeably improved over previous versions. It’s faster to scroll through emails and faster to open emails. It’s also great to view them in HTML where you can pinch-to-zoom or double-tap like in the web browser. Pro tip: To open emails faster, go to settings – sync content – retrieve – Msgs and attachements.
If you’ve only used Symbian devices, this is the best messaging experience ever. Unfortunately, if you’ve been to the dark side, you’ll notice the email experience on Android or iPhone is a little better. There are two things I like better on the other popular platforms. One example is how they differentiate between old and new emails. The iPhone lets you know by placing a big visible circle next to a new email. The circle disappears after it is read. On Android, new emails are highlighted white with bold fonts. Read emails are highlighted in grey and the font becomes un-bolded. With Symbian^3, the subject and the sender have the same font size and you can only recognize a new email if there’s a really tiny asterisk next to the mail icon. All emails, old or new, have a mail icon that is open or closed. However, the icons are small and have a similar color that you can’t differentiate at a quick glance. Another example that Nokia Messaging is behind the competition is that it is missing threaded emails.

Browsing. Browsing isn’t that great on the Nokia N8. You’ll do fine if you open small pages, but prepare for headache when opening large websites like Engadget. I also don’t understand why the Nokia N8′s browser can’t render one of my favorite sites, Techmeme, correctly in portrait view. The right sidebar shows up below the left content, and almost half of the screen is whitespace. I’m shaking my head in disappointment right now, but there’s a rumor that a newer and better browser is coming.
Music. The new cover flow feature in the music player is pretty cool, but instead of collecting music albums or downloading music, I prefer to stream songs. The TuneWiki app from the Ovi Store is a must have! It has an internet radio where you can choose from a huge list of online stations. The app also tells you the number of listeners and the bitrate of the music (128 kbps sounds great). Want to sing along? Some songs will display the lyrics if you’re in the mood for personal karaoke. The headset included with the Nokia N8 is pretty good too. I listen to a lot of hip hop and love the bass that comes out of them. The audio controls with the headset works well with TuneWiki too.

 

Ovi Maps. I think the Nokia N8 came with Ovi Maps 3.04 preinstalled. There’s a newer, but beta version 3.06 that is so much better. Search has greatly improved and it visually appealing. There’s also a new public transport map layer for subways, trams, and trains in 80+ cities. Sharing a place’s address or location to friends by SMS or email was also added. Voice navigation works fine and is available to all free of charge. Ovi Maps 3.06 can be downloaded from Beta Labs.
Ovi Store. The Ovi Store currently boasts 2.7 million downloads per day and carrier billing makes it easier for you to buy content. My top 5 app recommendations are:

• Pixelpipe
• Gravity
• Joikuspot
• Nokia Panorama
• TuneWiki

Games are starting to look good on the Nokia N8 and Symbian^3. Angry Birds in full version just came out and Gameloft released some cool HD games such as Avatar, GT Racing, and Guitar Rock Tour 2. If you’re not looking to spend any money, you might want to check out the cool free action games by Breakdesign. More content keeps showing up, so keep your eyes open.

BATTERY LIFE

The Nokia N8 includes a BL-4D 1200 mAh battery like the Nokia N97 mini, but it’s not easily accessible. You can replace the battery by using torx screwdriver if you really need to. The Nokia N8 can be charged via the microUSB port or the 2mm charging connector at the bottom. Surprisingly the battery life is good. The Nokia N8 typically lasts a little more than a day with my normal usage. Similar usage on a Nexus One kills it by late afternoon.

VERDICT

Is the Nokia N8 for you? The Nokia N8 is a solid and great-looking device that photographers are going to love. If you’re a Symbian veteran, you’ll definitely enjoy the Nokia N8. It runs the best version of Symbian yet, but the OS falls short to Android and iPhone with core apps such as the web browser and messaging. Nokia also needs to work on the onscreen keyboard. Fortunately, there are news of updates coming to Symbian that can resolve these issues hopefully sooner than later. The Nokia N8 is now available for $549 USD before subsidies and taxes.

England's new target, Sri Lanka's new era

The Big Picture

This series is being billed as the starter before the main course of England's season. India are the major drawcard of the summer, but Sri Lanka's visit promises mu

ch interest and intrigue. It pits a home side wanting to build on one of their finest triumphs in Australia against a visiting side trying to rebuild under a new captain and coach amid more political rumblings in Sri Lankan cricket.

A lot has happened since England celebrated in Sydney and even since Sri Lanka finished second in the World Cup. The hosts now have three captains for starters, but nine of the team that played in Sydney are set to line-up in this Test. Andrew Strauss has been very keen to stress how the Ashes success was just a stepping stone, albeit an historic one, in England's quest to be No. 1 in the world. That aim could be achieved by the end of the summer if they beat both Sri Lanka and India but it won't be an easy task.

Sri Lanka come here as significant underdogs, largely due to the loss of three match-winning bowlers in Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan and Lasith Malinga. Yet England will underestimate them at their peril. They showed their fighting qualities with an impressive victory against the Lions after being forced to follow-on as Tillakaratne Dilshan, the new captain, led the way with 117 at better than a run-a-ball. Much will rest on the tone Dilshan sets as a captain and batsman.

However, with Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene in the ranks runs shouldn't be in short supply and then it will be down to a new-look bowling attack. The loss of Nuwan Pradeep is a significant blow and they can't afford Dilhara Fernando to go lame as well. It's impossible to replace Murali, but in Rangana Herath they have a steady left-arm spinner who will no doubt target Kevin Pietersen.

Although Sri Lanka haven't won a series in England they have surprised the hosts more than once. Most famously there was 1998 at The Oval, but five years ago they also won at Trent Bridge to level the series. A shared contest this time would be a fine achievement for Dilshan and a major let-down for Strauss.

Form guide

(Most recent first)

England WWLWD
Sri Lanka DDDLD

Watch out for...

In the end Eoin Morgan made a case that was too good to ignore. His 193 against the Sri Lankans at Derby secured him a Test place that appeared to have slipped away after six weeks at the IPL. Now he has the chance to make the No. 6 berth his for the foreseeable future. He is the ideal counter-attacking player to have in the middle order; someone who scores at close to a run-a-ball and can shift momentum. However, his biggest challenge will come if (or when) he walks in with England wobbling. Barring his hundred against Pakistan at Trent Bridge last year he was vulnerable against the moving ball. One thing he doesn't lack, though, is confidence and that can carry you a long way.

Tillakaratne Dilshan won't do anything in half measures. He has shown his attacking mindset already on this tour both with the bat and in the field. Much like Virender Sehwag, one session of Dilshan blazing away can set the tone for a Test match. England's bowlers won't be allowed any leeway to find their feet. As a captain he isn't a long-term option, but is determined to do things his way and that will include thinking 'outside of the box'. Against the Lions he brought himself on to bowl with the new ball and made a breakthrough. Don't be surprised to see Herath in action as soon as Pietersen walks to the middle.

Team news

The only decision for the home side is the make-up of their pace attack and it seems likely that Steven Finn will miss out. Stuart Broad is fit again after his winter injuries although he looked a little short of rhythm in the County Championship. Morgan replaces Paul Collingwood in the middle order with Ian Bell set to move to No. 5. Pietersen and Jonathan Trott will be needed for some fill-in overs at various stages.

England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Eoin Morgan, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Chris Tremlett, 11 James Anderson

Sri Lanka have been hit with injuries to their pace attack. Pradeep is out and there are concerns over Dilhara Fernando, who is set to share the new ball with Chanaka Welegedara. Dilshan confirmed they'd picked six batsmen and five bowlers, a hint that Farveez Maharoof could play while Rangana Herath is the one spinner in their 12.

Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), 2 Tharanga Paranavitana, 3 Kumar Sangakkara, 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Thilan Samaraweera, 6 Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), 7 Farveez Maharoof, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Rangana Herath, 10 Dilhara Fernando, 11 Chanaka Welegedara

Pitch and conditions

Domestic and international pitches are often two very different beasts at Cardiff. Alarms are sometimes raised by the amount of turn for Glamorgan matches, but the groundsman keeps things safe for the internationals. Stuart Law said the pitch "looked a belter" and two years ago Australia piled up 674 for 6. The forecast, however, isn't too promising with showers forecast for the opening day and further rain over the weekend.

Stats and trivia

• Stuart Broad is currently sat on 99 Test wickets having collected just two scalps in his two Ashes Tests before injury.
• The performance of Sri Lanka's bowlers in England since 2000 is better than only Zimbabwe
• Thilan Samaraweera, overall Test average of 54.25, averages just 4.25 in England albeit from just two matches

Afridi pulls out of Ireland ODIs

Shahid Afridi,the Pakistan allrounder, has withdrawn from the squad for the two one-day internationals against Ireland later this month for personal reasons, according to a PCB official.

"Afridi has informed PCB that due to the illness of his father he had to stay longer in USA, so he would be unable to join the squad for Ireland." PCB spokesman Nadeem Sarwar told ESPNcricinfo.

The pull-out comes after days of speculation about Afridi's unhappiness at the decision to remove him as captain, with some local reports even suggesting he would retire from the game altogether, though there is no indication yet that this is the case. Last week the board chose to replace Afridi as ODI captain with Misbah-ul-Haq, despite the former having led Pakistan to the semi-final of the World Cup.

Pakistan are expected to arrive i

n Ireland on Wednesday, with the two games scheduled for May 28 and 30. The board will not be sending a replacement for Afridi.

Afridi took over as ODI captain properly in June last year, before the Asia Cup, having been appointed the Twenty20 captain the previous year. He was never given the leadership on a full-time basis, but first irked the board by walking away from the Test captaincy on the tour to England, one Test after being appointed. Misbah, currently the Test captain, now becomes the fifth ODI captain under the near three-year tenure of Butt; there have also been six Test captains in that time.

Pakistan draw series with emphatic victory

Pakistan's spinners completed the job they had begun on the fourth afternoon, slicing through the West Indian middle order and tail to secure a series-levelling victory by 196 runs in St Kitts. Once the morning dawned sunny and clear, it was only a matter of time before West Indies capitulated. They battled for 27.3 overs this morning and added 100 runs, but they were always fighting against t

he tide. It was over before lunch at Warner Park.


With the luxury of lots of runs to defend, Misbah-ul-Haq placed several fielders around the bat. The first edge came in the day's third over, with Brendan Nash poking at an offbreak from Saeed Ajmal and watching first slip take a regulation chance.


Carlton Baugh and Darren Sammy had a partnership that spanned ten overs, far too little time to call it a fightback. That ended when Baugh was trapped plumb in front by Abdur Rehman, who had to wait for the third umpire to overturn Asoka de Silva's not-out decision to celebrate his fourth wicket. Sammy hung in there for 41, off 51 balls, while Ravi Rampaul swung lustily to take 20 off 22. Saeed Ajmal got them both - Sammy to a daft shot, Rampaul to a sharp reflex catch at silly point.


With lunch approaching, Pakistan had only one wicket left to take. Devendra Bishoo then played the ball to backward point and kept his eyes on it. Kemar Roach hared down the pitch, and then turned and ambled back. The direct hit found him yards short and he began to shake hands with the fielders without waiting for the third umpire's decision. Pakistan's comeback was complete.

Taufeeq puts sloppy West Indies to sword

Ably assisted by the West Indies, Taufeeq Umar worked Pakistan into a formidable position on the third day of the second Test at Basseterre. Taufeeq's unbeaten 97 helped the tourists close on 203 for 3, 251 runs ahead already and well-placed for a series-levelling win.

Having fought back through their tail in the morning, West Indies missed numerous chances - dropping Umar twice by the time he was 13 and once on 94 - in a miserable display in the field. They also took a wicket off a no-ball in the very first over of the innings. The early chances were crucial because until this morning, Taufeeq's batting all series had a constipated feel to it, itching to break free mentally, yet physically unable. When he edged Kemar Roach in the third over only for Darren Bravo to shell a regulation chance at first slip, something in him twitched: he'd stared death in the face and not blinked. A little freedom crept in, disbelievingly at first as he drove Roach next ball down the ground.

In Roach's next over, he cut and drove him again but immediately after, he looked death in the face a second time, Darren Sammy dropping him at second slip. Unburdened and believing now, Umar tore into the most forceful batting from either side all series. Three boundaries came from Roach's next over, two drives before he fairly ripped into a cut. Sammy arrived only to be driven through extra cover. Every shot for a while was firmly struck, heavy with intent before a first opening fifty stand was brought up as lunch approached; unsurprisingly it was another straight drive that brought it.

Hafeez, the fortunate recipient of the Roach no-ball, was a keen partner, though after lunch the tempo dropped drastically. Taufeeq decided now was the time to cash in. For the rest of the day he was unrecognizable from the morning stud, a dour old man of an innings, of nudges, glides, bunts and sturdy defence.

He brought up fifty quietly a little before the day's halfway mark and hit not a single boundary after lunch until half an hour before the close. Typically, it was a straight drive. Thereafter he roused in a bid to reach a first hundred in nearly eight years before the close, driving Rampaul again before being dropped - athletically - by Lendl Simmons at mid-off. A few balls later he narrowly avoided being run out.

But across the afternoon there was relief from Azhar Ali in a pleasant and surprisingly fluent innings. He gave one chance at slip, but looked in little trouble, driving and cutting well in a 76-run stand. More significantly, he rotated strike, which he doesn't often do. Particularly useful in this endeavour was the paddle sweep he employed regularly against the spinners. Soon after tea he reached an inevitable eighth Test fifty but just when a first, breakthrough hundred looked equally inevitable, he fell, cutting to slip.

Both the wicket-taker Devendra Bishoo and the West Indies in general deserved that, for they sharpened up after lunch. Sammy bowled those inswingers Pakistan are unable to comprehend - they come in - to which Hafeez fell; another good start wasted. Bishoo controlled the other end in a good, long spell through an equally long afternoon, unlucky not to have Umar stumped and Ali caught earlier. The very real threat of a big-turning, big-leaping jaffa remained throughout.

Roach of the wretched luck also returned for an energetic spell after tea in which Asad Shafiq was sent back. Ultimately, West Indies did well to keep Pakistan down to just 147 runs after lunch, not only keeping the potential target down, but taking time out.

Still it didn't mask the

 dominance of Pakistan's position or how the sterling morning work of Rampaul and Roach was wasted. Late yesterday, the pair had landed some heavy blows; not so this morning. From the offset they looked secure and the strokes were accomplished, none of the impatience of the top-order of both sides.

The first boundary came as Roach guided Abdur Rehman through slips and in the next over, he cut Tanvir Ahmed for a far more authoritative boundary. An over later, as Rampaul cut Hafeez for two, the fifty partnership came up.

Eventually it was left to Hafeez - who has at times looked Pakistan's most threatening bowler - to break through, deceiving Roach in flight. Soon Bishoo gave Umar at slip his fourth catch of the innings. How West Indies must have wished later he was standing in their cordon to himself.

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The problem is Butt no other

In a way this isn't even about Shahid Afridi or Misbah-ul-Haq. Both have their advantages and faults. This writer personally considered Afridi to have done as good a job as was manageable in the circumstances that were thrust upon him.

Few can realistically argue that they weren't surprised by his performances as leader, given how unsuitable a candidate he has looked for most of his career. But over 32 ODIs (two, against West Indies and Australia, came as stand-in) he left a bit of himself on the team: unpredictable, occasionally brilliant, occasionally hopeless; that Pakistan's four ODI series under Afridi all ended in 3-2 scorelines is quite fitting really.

But mostly they were up for a good fight. In particular, Pakistan showed some spine under him against England and South Africa last year, contests in which what was happening around them could easily have blown them away entirely.

On results, he just about wins. Any captain will take more wins than losses, particularly as few of his opponents were genuinely weak. The World Cup run cannot be belittled, and two series wins did come against weaker sides, but they are two more than a few of the last couple of captains managed: Pakistan, remember, hadn't won an ODI series against a full member side since November 2008 until they beat New Zealand earlier this year. So credit is due.

Misbah might be a decent captain. His form since his return to all formats last year has been outstanding, even if it takes in the much-pilloried World Cup semi-final half-century against India. But turning to a man who turns 37 on the day he leads Pakistan against Ireland in the first ODI isn't a long-term solution.

But the problem isn't either of these two. The problem, not for the first or last time in the tenure of Ijaz Butt, lies with the board, with Butt himself. So far nobody has said why Afridi has been removed, and they might not say anything anytime soon; the board does, after all, retain the right to change captains per assignment.

Only two things could have led to this, however. One is Afridi's keenness in airing private matters publicly, which is admittedly an uneasy trait to possess as Pakistan captain. The other is the differences he has with coach Waqar Younis, differences that have grown considerably over the last few months. Both are issues that can be resolved without sacking someone, a suggestion so obvious that it feels foolish to write it out.

If he does speak out regularly - and it is a breach of the code of conduct - can he not be disciplined in another way? And, given what Pakistani captains of pretty recent vintage have gotten up to, is it that grave an offence? Perhaps Afridi's general disciplinary record went against him: the ball-biting last year, or his abrupt relinquishing of the Test captaincy. In that case, they should have axed him then, when it might have made sense, not now, when it makes less.

	The chairman has been quiet for a few months and it has been bliss. Now he has stirred again, underlining once again as if it was needed, that he might struggle to run a chalkboard, let alone a cricket board

If there were problems with Waqar, could not the two of them - with PCB officials involved - have had a pow wow to sort matters out? Intikhab Alam, the team manager, tried to bring the two together during the ODI series in the Caribbean, but the matter is delicate enough to be handled away from an ongoing series.

Maybe - a radical suggestion this - the board could've sat down and worked out a better, more streamlined selection policy, over which the pair have fallen out. The parameters are not defined very well, but mostly selection in Pakistan is not so different from that in other countries. The selection committee picks a squad, with inputs from coach and captain. The on-tour management, which includes coach and captain, picks the XI. If, as happens often, a Test squad is announced after the ODI leg of the series, then the on-tour management inevitably wants input in that. The final say, in all matters, is with the chairman, for some reason.

As Pakistan's experiments with democracy amply demonstrate, there are probably too many different people involved for this to work smoothly: five in the selection committee, three or more on tour (if the advice of senior players is taken). In any case, the problems that regularly arise in selection matters here likely do elsewhere; the point is you don't solve them simply by sacking people, unless all other options have been exhausted.

Butt has been in charge for just under three years and this now represents the 11th change in captaincy in his time, in Tests and ODIs. Eleven

: it takes some countries decades to go through that kind of change. Add to it three coaches and five selection chiefs. Does it need to be written out what kind of effect this instability has on the performances of a team? How do you build anything if the materials keep changing? And can we expect Afridi, whether he says it publicly or not, as a key member of the ODI side still, to take this without any issues?

Long ago the number of changes began to say nothing of the men who came and went and everything of the man who made the changes: that is, he is clueless. How much longer before he decides to kick out Misbah? Or Mohsin Khan? Or Waqar Younis?

The chairman has been quiet for a few months and it has been bliss. Now he has stirred again, underlining once again as if it was needed, that he might struggle to run a chalkboard, let alone a cricket board.

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Do West Indies have a will to win a series against Pakistan?

Among all the criticism heaped on West Indies cricket in recent years, one of the foremost has been the lack of resolve shown by their players who have appeared diffident, in contrast to the weight of the great tradition they bear. Too many times, dominating positions have been frittered away, conveying the impression that they seemingly do not care to gain ground. The hurt is magnified, given that that the West Indies is the only place outside the sub-continent where cricket is still, hopefully, much more than just a game.

That is why the win in the first Test against Pakistan should ideally be much more than just another win - it was the first in a Test in almost two years. What was more heartening to see was what led to that win. The fight shown by the lower order, where the last two wickets added in excess of 50 runs in both innings in a low-scoring game where the winning margin was 40. Above all, the fight displayed by Darren Sammy who, with a Man of the Match performance, showed that he might also have the skills to be a contributing player at Test level in addition to being a willing captain.

All of which should be celebrated much more than a win, because, in isolation, the victory itself might just prove to be a one-off considering the various ills plaguing West Indies cricket. The final game in yet another two-Test series that has promised so much will give a stronger indication if the earlier win was more than just that. If Sammy does manage to pull off another victory, he would have bought a lot of time against the doubters. Even a draw will help, but a loss will lead to increasing calls of 'we told you so'.

To consolidate on their success in the first Test, West Indies will need to address their serious vulnerability while facing spin, especially against Saeed Ajmal. When your opener [Devon Smith] fails to last even an over against the opposition's part-time offspinner in Tests [Mohammad Hafeez], it reflects poorly on the skillsets of those playing at the highest level. The surface at Warner Park, though, should suit West Indies much more than the vicious turner at Providence that turned survival against quality spin into a lottery, one in which the hosts didn't enjoy much luck.

It was the brittle batting that cost Pakistan the first Test, and considering that none of the top six has played more than 30 Tests, it is not a problem that is going to go away soon, especially in the absence of Younis Khan. The opening partnership has been worryingly unproductive; in 40 previous innings, only thrice has it produced more than 100 runs and of the six pairs tried out, none have averaged more than 40 per innings. No wonder that Pakistan have struggled to put up totals in the region of 350-400, which hasn't allowed their strong bowling attack the kind of leeway it deserves.

As in the case of West Indies though, Pakistan should also find the usually flatter track at Warner Park much more conducive, and hope that their batting stands up, for once, so that they can at least hope to square the series. Otherwise, West Indies will overtake them in the ICC Test rankings.

Form guide

(most recent first)
West Indies: WDDDL
Pakistan: LDWDD

Watch out for...

Devendra Bishoo came close to becoming only the third West Indies spinner to take a five-for on Test debut. He displayed remarkable control over variety for someone playing the role of the sole specialist spinner in only his first Test. He also lasted almost 100 deliveries with the bat, showing glimpses of a reasonably tight technique for a No.11, and a strong character. West Indies cricket is in desperate need of all these qualities, and from initial impressions, Bishoo seems to have the potential.

Such is the lot of Darren Sammy, that in every game that he leads his side, whatever he does or doesn't will be analysed and dissected to death. Why did he bring himself on to bowl, why didn't he bring himself on to bowl, why did he do what he did, why didn't he do what he didn't. Amid a perpetual one-sided trial, it was nice to see him being applauded by his team-mates after getting the key wicket of Umar Akmal that virtually sealed the win. In the end, their support and confidence matters the most and Sammy has another opportunity starting tomorrow to earn more of it.

Umar Akmal is the next big hope of Pakistan batting. He is also the current big frustration. A batsman so prodigiously talented has got to have more than a prolonged streak of youthful indulgence to throw away so many potential match-winning innings. Not for the first time in his career, Akmal played a wild pull to get out in the first innings in Providence, when he was not having any problems on a pitch that others had found unplayable. How many false dawns will Pakistan cricket have to endure before Akmal's sun truly rises?

Team news

After getting tormented by Hafeez for quite some time now, Smith will be extremely fortunate if he manages to hold on to his place in the XI. A debut for young Barbados opener Kraigg Brathwaite looks to be in order. Ravi Rampaul's stirring performance in Providence has ensured that he will continue to keep Fidel Edwards out. There should not be any other change, unless West Indies decide to go in with five bowlers on the traditionally placid Warner Park surface.

West Indies (probable): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Brendan Nash, 7 Carlton Baugh (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Ravi Rampaul, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Devendra Bishoo

Given that the pitch is not expected to aid spin much, Pakistan could consider bringing in one of Tanvir Ahmed or Junaid Khan in place of Abdur Rehman. Then again, West Indies' cluelessness against the slower men might just tempt them to stick with two specialist spinners.

Pakistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Taufeeq Umar, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 5 Asad Shafiq, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Mohammad Salman (wk), 8 Abdur Rehman / Tanvir Ahmed, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Wahab Riaz, 11 Saeed Ajmal

Pitch and conditions

Two previous Tests at Warner Park have produced high-scoring draws. Even South Africa, who won everything else on their trip to the Caribbean last year, could not bowl West Indies out twice on the flat surface. West Indies would not like to hand Pakistan another turner that suits Ajmal and Co, and reports suggest that the surface will be quite hard, with dry grass rolled in to bind it together. The weather is forecast to be quite cloudy over the next few days, and that could only please the West Indies seamers.

Stats and trivia

• 12 of Umar Akmal's 27 Test innings have ended between 20 and 60
• Saeed Ajmal's 11 for 111 in the first Test was his maiden ten-wicket haul
• West Indies have won only two Test series in the past seven years