Pakistan’s stinted World Cup campaign finally came to an end on Friday when they were overwhelmed by a rampaging Australia in the quarter-final at Adelaide.

Misbah-ul-Haq’s men were clearly the underdogs in the do-or-die clash and, barring a momentary fight-back at the start of the Australian innings, never appeared to take charge of the game after setting a rather modest target of 214 for their formidable opponents.

Though Pakistan needs to be commended for making it to the quarter-final stage after its horrendous start to the World Cup, the fact remains that barring a famous victory over South Africa in the league round, they failed to hold their own against the leading sides such as India and the West Indies.

Yesterday too, the many chinks in Pakistan’s armour were exposed by a professional Australian team which will now meet India in the semi-final at Sydney in a week’s time.

Also read: Australia dump sloppy Pakistan out of World Cup

Inconsistent batting, poor fielding and a management that did not plan intelligently afflicted Pakistan throughout. It wouldn’t be fair to argue that Pakistani players lack talent. But if other attributes such as skill and application are not present in decent measure, the outcome can still be disastrous as we witnessed.

It was also evident that Misbah, despite his prolific form with the bat, is not the ideal leader for the limited-over format although he enjoys an enviable record as skipper in Test matches. His cautious approach and inability to pick the right combinations and build confidence are factors that have affected the team in the ODIs.

However, with both Misbah and Shahid Afridi deciding to bid adieu to the ODIs now, there’s room for a young, dynamic leader to lead the one-day team with an eye on the next World Cup which is scheduled to be held in England in 2019.

Needless to say, a professional set-up at the Pakistan Cricket Board can also boost Pakistan’s chances of regaining their status as a major cricketing nation.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2015

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