Sharjah, 30th October 2013. Captain Misbahul-Haq is at the crease with the much-hyped left-handed Umar Amin. Pakistan needs another 48 runs with 7 wickets in hand. Number of balls is not a part of the equation. Misbah scoops one to point, it’s a soft dismissal after a typically patient 31, but victory is well in sight.

In comes 23-year-old Umar Akmal. The two Umars are touted as Pakistan’s best batting talent; they are still in control of the game. The aggressive Akmal gets a quick 18 of 17 balls, only 18 to win with 6 wickets in hand. Amin feathers one behind the stump and an uncomfortable hour at the crease comes to a close. The other Umar follows suit and is trapped in front of the stumps. Still 18 to get.

Amid loud applause walks out Pakistan’s most experienced player with 362 ODI appearances, 5th highest run scorer in its history, only a few runs behind Javed Miandad; Shahid Khan Afridi. With him is Sohail Tanvir who is selected in place of Junaid Khan for his batting prowess. Junaid is sidelined even after being the 5th highest ODI wicket taker in 2013 with 32 scalps at 23 runs apiece. Sohail disappoints while Wahab Riaz is still padding up; he too is selected ahead of Junaid for his superior batting skills. All eyes and hopes on Afridi, but he does what he has for a large part of his 17-year career, plays an irresponsible shot to be caught at the ropes with his team still seven runs adrift. Wahab also quickly perishes to a flipper. Pakistan eventually loses by one run, failing to chase 182 runs after a complete batting collapse. South Africa goes one up in the first game of a five-match series.

The tone is set for the rest of the series.

The next four games, played in conditions closest to home, present a sorry picture as Pakistan fail to bat out 50 overs even once.

"It's the same old story," said Misbah before the fourth ODI. "I think we need to think about our batting if we want to save the series. Our batsmen get starts but are not able to convert them into big scores, and we all have to think that 20s and 30s are not going to win matches for us."

There is no rocket science in deciphering that batting is Pakistan’s gravest predicament on a cricket field. Decoding the quagmire is not as complicated as it appears to be, at least, statistically.

Let’s jot a few fundamental cricketing numbers to give us perspective.

List of Pakistani batsmen expected to get the desired runs against South Africa (qualification: 2 matches in the series).

Evidently, there is an extremely strong correlation between List-A and ODI averages of all Pakistani batsmen, like other batsmen world over. Thus, Pakistan’s batting failure should not come as a surprise; they usually bat to the potential they have already displayed in domestic List-A competitions.

There are a few basic questions that need to be addressed.

Are players with mediocre domestic batting records expected to improve their numbers at the international stage? For example, with a List-A average of 31.5, will Umar Amin average 40 in ODIs?

Are players like Sohail Tanvir and Wahab Riaz good enough all-rounders to replace a front line bowler or a full-time batsman? Are they all-rounders at all?

Is Mohammad Hafeez fit to open the batting with an average of 28.62 after 134 games?

The obvious answer to all these questions is, no! But to find the correct answer, one must first ask the right question.

Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal are the only regular Pakistani batsmen in the current team with a domestic List-A average of over 35 and consequently an ODI average of 44 and 37 respectively. While Misbah insists on pushing himself further down the order to number five, Akmal is forced to wear the gloves in order to retain his place and bats as low as six or seven. His average is on a steep decline and recent performances are a far cry from an earlier cited potential.

What positions should the best batsmen in the team bat in an ODI game? There is silence.

In an ever failing Pakistani top order, Sohaib Maqsood is a breath of fresh air. In fact, given Pakistan’s circumstances, he’s already a mild storm; it is extremely early to call but a slight ray of hope can light up a room full of darkness. With a List-A average of 52 in 34 games, he has immediately made an impact on international debut.

An extremely important question begs to be answered. Are there more batsmen on the domestic circuit with a similar record to Sohaib?

Let’s put forth some more numbers.

As always, there are batsmen like Babar Azam and Sharjeel Khan that are emerging with excellent domestic numbers but they get few chances. There are also those like Azhar Ali and Fawad Alam who have performed well at the domestic circuit for years and have even shown their ability at the ODI stage, but continue to be sidelined. With the Pakistani top order filled with players averaging in the late twenties or mid thirties, even at domestic level, players that have produced good numbers often disappear in dark shadows.

Why are players who average 40 in ODIs and 50 in List-A replaced by players averaging 20s in ODIs and 30s in List-A cricket?

Does Pakistan have no batting talent? Or do they misemploy their resources?

Does Pakistan play the best XI in the country?

In a recent exclusive interview with Dawn.com, Faisal Iqbal accused the authorities for always wanting him to fail. Faisal had a disappointing start to his career but made a comeback into the Test squad through his domestic performances. He stayed with the team for over a year and a half but was soon dropped after the interview without playing a single game in his eighteen month comeback stint. He still holds a PCB contract. If he is paid, why isn't he played?

Does the Pakistan Cricket Board have a plan?

Does it have a chairman of the board?

Pakistan has never chased a target of over 250 after Misbah took over captaincy in 2010. He personally averages a Bradmanesque 94 in successful run chases as captain but it has usually been in matches where bowlers have already won the game earlier in the day. He has been the lone ranger for Pakistan but is accused of not grooming a successor or building a team for the future. He seems to be the only genuine batsman in Pakistan, but, is he actually the only one?

Will Misbah lead Pakistan in the World Cup of 2015?

Who can replace Misbah, the ODI captain?

Some questions do not have immediate answers, but it is about time that Pakistan starts making some serious inquisitions. The diagnosis of an ailment is the first step to its cure, and Pakistan cricket needs to dig deep and get to the root of the problem before it embarks on trying to fix it through cosmetic changes.