The reason this ODI series is more important than the Test series simply has to do with its close proximity to the World Cup. A Test series loss would be just that, a Test series loss. Losing the ODI series in a convincing manner would be a huge setback to their World Cup chances.
See my reply to Jono.
You're kidding.....right? Who the hell remembers an ODI series outside the WC for more than 30 seconds after it ends?
I do too, if India had lost to WI yesterday I would have been disappointed, as I was when we lost the ODI series to Pakistan in 2005, the ODI series in the WI earlier this year etc.
One should not resist making changes to a test team just because it is close to the World Cup though. The test side should be effected by such matters really.
This whole idea of proximity to the WC is incredibly overrated. India got well and truly belted in NZ in 2002/03 before the 2003 WC, but had a very good campaign. Why? Because the conditions were totally different. NZ had a mediocre campaign and they were on fire prior to the WC. Then you've got SL losing to Australia in Australia back in 95/96 (when Kalu and Jayasuriya started to show their goods at the top of the order), but they ended up winning the WC over Australia in the final, in totally different conditions (sub-continent hosts).
Yup pretty much agree with that, except that a Test series win, tbh, wont cover the disappointment of an ODI series loss for me. I will certainly be happier with a Test series win, happier than I would be with an ODI series win, but it certainly won't cover my dissapointment. We can be amazing in one format of the game, but if we are crap in the other format I will be quite disappointed. After all our ODI form does effect our performance in the WC.
... I will be 
... but I won't be 
either.
I just don't think replacing him for one Test would make that much of a difference, really. Haider in all probability wouldn't do any better than Akmal could be expected to do in the next Test, and I could see him doing considerably worse in the long run. Also, I think if we wanted to bring him in for the World Cup, it would have to be in this ODI series. I would want him to be fully prepared by the time of the World Cup to play at this level, and I'd also want to give him time to get used to keeping for our bowlers. Its a moot point though, because he really isn't better than Akmal has shown he can be.
Ah, the reverse Duncan Fletcher strategy. Don't see why it couldn't be useful, especially if it was right before the most important cricket event on the planet.
Again, I stopped reading as soon as a hit the words "World Cup." What on earth does the world cup have to do with this test series? Keep the focus on the game - or at least the form of the game - at hand.
Clearly that is your opinion, and clearly that opinion is not shared by all.
It'd be bound to happen the next time around anyway.
I'm sorry, I believe you had mentioned World Cup in your earlier post stating that the same selection policy of "picking the one who's most likely to win you the game" should be applied to that as well. Apologize if I misread, but the latter part of my post reffers to that.
Yeah when you lose Inzy, Yousuf and Shoaib (who is pretty much gone)?
Of course that is my opinion, and I understand why some might disagree with it. I just feel that both the forms of the game are more interrelated than you would imply they are.
Bowlers win you Test matches. Inzy and and Yousef might be gone, but at that point we would have a mature Asif, Gul, and Kaneria. Shoaib doesn't enter into calculations much because there's a good chance he would be unfit anyway. Its a lot more complicated than looking at which players would retire, because then you could look at South Africa and say they'd lose Kallis, Pollock, Boucher, and Gibbs and things would look worse for them. I made my statement looking at the trend over the past few years of Pakistan improving in Test cricket, and South Africa generally in a decline.
Bad news indeed. Shabbir and Razzaq may be called up. Huge drop off from Shoaib and Gul for sure.
Not good news for Pakistan's chances of winning this series. Hopefully they will be fit by the time of the ODI series. I'm not too optimistic about Shoaib recovering in time though.
Couldn't have said it better myself.