By Shahid Hashmi Pakistani sports journalist

In a country where the words cricket and crisis are often joined together, coach Richard Pybus is seen by some as a calming influence and others as a 'messiah'.

And the Pakistan Cricket Board has once again turned to Englishman Pybus after a series of dismal results by the national team.

From the high of a rare success in Australia in June, the team's performance graph showed a remarkable downturn which cost Mudassar Nazar his job.

And the appointment of Pybus for the third time confirms the high opinion held of him by senior PCB officials.

"We have not closed the door on Pybus and can go to him if we desire" were chairman Lieutenant General Tauqir Zia's words when his second spell in charge came to an end last year.

Pybus back in charge of Pakistan

Cricket in Pakistan is a passion, but it is regularly marred by controversies, internal rifts between players and frequent changes of personnel.

Run of defeats

The team's failure to reach the final of the inaugural Morocco Cup, their two humiliating defeats at the hands of Australia in the Kenya tri-series and early exit from the ICC Champions Trophy after a loss against hosts Sri Lanka sparked nationwide criticism.

There were no obvious home candidates to replace Mudassar with Javed Miandad, Intikhab Alam, Wasim Raja and Haroon Rasheed all having tasted the hot seat in the last five years and been discarded.

Miandad is arguably the best coach, but differences of opinion with senior players have kept him away from the post.

A word in the ear of skipper Waqar Younis

"The advantage with Pybus is that he is a foreigner and every player accepts him as coach. He has no axe to grind and cannot indulge in local politics," said one PCB official.

Pybus was first hired as assistant coach for the 1999 World Cup and promoted as head coach for the tour to Australia that winter, although a 3-0 rout led to him being sacked.

A former league player with Suffolk, Pybus was re-hired for Pakistan's tour of England last year, and helped them pull off a famous last session win at Old Trafford to square the Test series.

His tenure was cut short, however, after he declined to travel to the Asian region following the events of 11 September.

Simple approach

That prompted some commentators to question his commitment.

But Pybus has no regrets about his actions.

"There may be some people who ask why I return to Pakistan after a bad experience. One of the prime reasons is that I love the attitude of Pakistani players and their fighting abilities," Pybus told BBC Sport Online.

Pakistan were second best in Australia in 1999

It is asking a lot of him to achieve victory against Australia, especially with the matches being played at neutral venues, instead of in Pakistan.

"It's a great challenge facing Australia with some senior players missing, but my way of coaching is simple - plan and implement.

"Cricket is a simple game where you need to bring the best out of a player and remove basic flaws if there are any, and I follow this in my coaching," said Pybus.

"Pakistan mustn't make any knee jerk decisions so close to World Cup 2003. Any issues must be worked through and resolved, keeping in mind that the central goal isn't just to win the World Cup, but to be the best side in the world. "

"The most important thing for Pakistan is to identify key areas that are impacting on performance and address them as soon as possible, whether they be management issues, injuries or selection."

A spell of clear thinking can only be an improvement.