There may be better films to draw from in terms of symbolising the depth and drama of a creaking ship, but I can think of 2013 Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts-starrer August: Osage County, for one. It captures a dysfunctional family’s tribulations, often in violent manifestation, especially just when you get the impression a reunion forced by circumstance will probably soften a stony heart. You get the drift.

No-one should be under any illusion about where Pakistan cricket is headed with the trying – some might even suggest, coerced – rehabilitation of Mohammad Amir, and now the dramatic possibility of Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif, the other two, albeit more despised spot-fixing convicts, finding their way out of the labyrinth and back into the Pakistan dressing room.

Imagine the sheer possibility – and it may not be all that far down the road, especially if Pakistan’s woeful ODI and T20 form continues – of a riveting script, notwithstanding all the shemozzle around turpitude. Unfortunately, the Pakistani film industry is currently in as bad a shape as its cricket cousin to take advantage and laugh all the way to the bank (pun intended).

On a somber note, predictably, the PCB was caught unawares when they decided to fast-track Amir’s integration into the national team – doubtless because of poor national form and depleting stocks. Even though, it was the selectors’ call once the ICC and PCB prescribed course correction had been completed, they should have had their wits about which way the wind was blowing in the dressing room.

Failure to do so resulted in a much publicised division in the ranks, compounded by a rebellion of sorts from the senior most players, ODI captain Azhar Ali and former skipper Mohammad Hafeez, who refused to even train with Amir. The former tendered his resignation before PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan stepped in to save the day.

The board however, stayed the course in selecting Amir – even though there was no certainty the pacer would get the visa because of strict New Zealand laws dealing with criminal past misdemeanours – and retrieving lost ground by ensuring legal cover in having all the selected players for the New Zealand tour sign on the dotted lines with regard to Amir’s selection.

Even allowing for all the drama surrounding a "reunion" when reportedly, an isolated Amir broke down during the camp and offered to quit, leading Hafeez and others to kiss and make up, it would be foolhardy to believe all the commotion is behind us. Such is the nature of the beast that goodwill often gets trumped when it comes to individual interest. That, unfortunately, is the story of Pakistan cricket.

Without disregard to the angst players who have carried the torch for Pakistan in the dark aftermath of spot-fixing episode, one cannot completely rule out the green monster rearing its ugly head in the not-so-distant future.

After all, Amir was by far the best young talent in the game when he lost the plot in 2010, and even though it will take a bit to regain that mojo, he seems pretty much on course since being restored to the first class game last September and the recent BPL outing. With support from the management and team, it is quite likely he may once again steal the thunder.

But watch out for the body language on the current New Zealand trip. While Amir’s potential success may make his captains relatively comfortable, the real test of character will emerge if despite his success, the team as a whole does not do as well and/or players like Azhar Ali and Mohammad Hafeez struggle, and back home, Salman Butt begins to shine – as he has in the ongoing National One Day Cup.

At the time of writing this, Butt’s smashing run and Asif’s decent take-home in the domestic circuit, will no doubt have alerted the Dissenters of December. Coach Waqar Younis’ mealy response to the possibility of Butt and Asif also making the cut sometime in future would have rattled them.

It is no secret that Pakistan’s cricket nursery has run dry with no miracle (return of top international teams to Pakistan) in sight. With dwindling stocks and an extremely poor ODI and T20 run last year and the time not far when both Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan would be calling time on their careers, a certain sense of anticipation with regard to the rehabilitated trio is inevitable.

So far the debate surrounding their integration into the national squad continues to invite a mostly lopsided harangue. A lot of time is served on questions of improbity before summary conclusions are reached on why banishing their ghosts would draw the line on who deserves to wear national colours.

The inability to apply mind over matter is palpable. Even though the overriding perception is that both Butt and Asif pale before Amir in how taciturn they were in accepting guilt, the hard fact is that all three have served their time, with the last two in the rehab process.

Without condoning their acts of commission, and these were deserving of opprobrium, the fact is an offender cannot be punished for the same crime again – which is what it will tantamount to if they were put out to pasture for good. What about reform? Isn’t punishment primarily meant to achieve this end? It would make more sense if the discourse was premised in legal terms after the full rehab, rather than just moral policing.

But right now, the house pretty much resembles the Osage County drivel mentioned in the beginning. Coach Waqar Younis wants all three back, form permitting; ODI captain Azhar Ali is seething underneath and would have none if he could help it; T20 skipper Shahid Afridi only wants Amir to don the national colours (he has a personal grudge against Butt); Test captain Misbah has typically assumed a diplomatic stance by saying really nothing in black and white terms while chief selector Haroon Rashid after singling out Amir as "special" and fast-tracking his return has declared he would consider Butt and Asif only after they spend a year in domestic cricket.

No-one really knows what’s in store. But I suspect, this year, the sensational will happen.