England vs Pakistan: 5 things which went wrong for Pakistan in the One Day series
After the ignominy of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, the England team adopted radical measures to change their approach towards Limited overs cricket, and these measures have yielded a bumper harvest for the team.
Not only has the team transformed its approach, but has made a concerted effort to bring a positive approach towards the game, and not worry too much about the result. Captain Eoin Morgan and coach Trevor Bayliss has given the players the freedom to go out and express themselves and not cringe too much about the consequences.
They have brushed all opponents under the carpet ever since and have emerged as one of the strongest outfits in One Day Cricket.
On the other hand, we have Pakistan, a team which attained Test glory during this trip, but were soon brought crashing down in the One Day series, and lost the 5-match series 4-1.
Also read: Pakistan's Test and Limited Overs teams: A tale of contrasting fortunes
Results do tell a story, but what they do not reveal is the lack of fight shown by the Azhar Ali-led side right through the series.
Here in this list, we take a look at 5 factors which were responsible for Pakistan's desperate situation in One Day Internationals. They are currently ranked number 9 in this format.
#1 Mundane opening stand
The sight of Alastair Cook and Ian Bell opening the innings for England was ridiculed by all and sundry, primarily because of their stoic approach at the top of the order. They believed in seeing off the new ball and then slowly accelerating towards the end. This approach was well behind the modern times, and hence it failed big time.
However, Pakistan have for some reason not learnt from this, and they still have a very stodgy approach at the top of the order. Although, they have an aggressive player in the form of Sharjeel Khan, his opening partner has not yet been decided, and this is a massive lapse right at the outset.
Not once in the 5-match series were the openers ahead of the 8-ball and this was one of the reasons behind their sorry performance.