Pakistan vs Australia 2019: 3 things that went wrong for Pakistan in the ODI series

#3 Lack of energy

Pakistan v Australia - ODI Series: Game 5

With the announcement that Sarfraz Ahmed would be rested for the series, the burden of captaincy fell on the experienced shoulders of Shoaib Malik. Malik's run with the bat was mediocre but what was more concerning was the fact that he failed to ignite passion in his side.

The fielding was listless; catches were spilled and balls were misfielded, resulting in extra runs. It was a lethargic showing on the field by Pakistan. It didn't help when Malik said in a post-match conference that "It's not about winning the series, it's about trying our bench strength".

When Malik was absent for the last two matches due to injury, Imad Wasim took over as stand-in captain. The constant chopping and changing proved to be damaging, as Pakistan fell to a 5-0 defeat at the hands of an Australia side that looks stronger than ever, just months ahead of the World Cup.