Cricket World Cup 2015: Pakistan's Biggest Headache Is a Lack of Match Winners

Even by Pakistan's lofty standards, preparations for the Cricket World Cup 2015 have been a little chaotic. They have won just two of their past 12 ODIs and many of their best bowlers are absent.

Is there any hope for Misbah-ul-Haq's men this year?

The form book says not. The Pakistanis lost their two most recent ODI series on home soil against Australia and New Zealand. The wretched run continued in the return contest in New Zealand where the men in green looked way off the pace.

New Zealand's top order will be one of the most dangerous at this year's World Cup, but to be smashed for 369 in Napier was a major wake-up call for Pakistan.

And therein lies their biggest problem—a lack of bowling resources.

The ICC reported overnight that Saeed Ajmal has had his bowling action cleared. Despite being given the green light from the testers, whether Ajmal returns to the side for the World Cup remains to be seen.

Changes to squads can only be made if there is an injury. Pakistan called up novice Rahat Ali following the withdrawal of left-arm seamer Junaid Khan earlier this week. If the team management had wanted Ajmal, they'd have surely delayed Ali's call-up until the the spinner's test results were known.

It's a view echoed by Pakistani newspaper Dawn, which quoted an unnamed senior official from the Pakistan Cricket Board as saying: "It does not matter whether it is positive or negative as the team management has decided to play the World Cup without Ajmal, believing the team does not need him."

Ajmal withdrew from the squad in December and later agreed to join the commentary team of an Urdu TV station.

With death bowler Umar Gul joining Junaid on the sidelines and spinner Mohammad Hafeez still not cleared, the Pakistani bowling cupboard looks a little threadbare. Consider that Shahid Afridi has taken three times as many ODI wickets as the rest of the Pakistan attack combined (h/t to ESPN Cricinfo)!

That's not to say that the Pakistani attack is without talent. Mohammad Irfan caused plenty of problems in the recent series against New Zealand. He should find conditions to his liking Down Under. As should Wahab Riaz.

The rest of the attack remains very much a work in progress, a fact acknowledged by former Pakistan great Javed Miandad.

In a column for ICC-Cricket.com, Miandad wrote: "Barring tall Mohammad Irfan, who if fit could be a lethal weapon on bouncy wickets in Australia and New Zealand, I don’t see much of the depth in our fast bowling...Sohail Khan, Ehsan Adil and Wahab Riaz are all yet to prove they could be match-winners."

What Pakistan would give for a scrapper of Javed's talents now. And that's another area where they are lacking. Players with the ability to take a game by the scruff of the neck.

As Indian great Rahul Dravid noted at ESPN Cricinfo: "They lack those big-ticket players or game changers which you would associate the Pakistani team of the past."

Shahid Afridi looked in the mood in New Zealand and enters the World Cup in impressive form with both bat and ball.

Apart from their mercurial all-rounder, it's hard to spot who will be Pakistan's match-winners with the bat. Mohammad Hafeez and skipper Misbah-ul-Haq are solid citizens. Ahmed Shehzad, Haris Sohail and Umar Akmal all have plenty of talent but are inconsistent.

Pakistan's most experienced batsman, Younis Khan, has endured a wretched run of late, passing 35 just once since the start of 2013. His record Down Under is pretty miserable, too. The 37-year-old averages just 18.38 in ODIs played in Australia and 19.29 in New Zealand.

Given the recent spate of injuries and problems with bowling actions, it's no surprise that Pakistan's squad has a lop-sided look.

With six players over 30 and five with more than 100 ODI caps, the 15-man squad appears to have plenty of experience. Of the remaining 10 players, only one has more than 50 appearances and the four most inexperienced players have just 11 caps between them. The mixture doesn't look like one destined for success.

It's become something of a cricketing cliche to expect the unexpected with Pakistan. Like all cliches, there's a modicum of truth to this one.

If Shahid Afridi fires, if Mohammad Irfan creates carnage, if the old guard of Misbah and Younis produce one last hurrah and if the youngsters play with freedom and abandon, then who knows? Big ifs indeed, but stranger things have happened in Pakistani cricket.

Stats courtesy of ESPNcricinfo.com and Howstat.com.