At the start of the ODI series against Sri Lanka, Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq suggested that the round of matches against Angelo Mathews' side would give him a fair idea of how prepared they were for next year's World Cup.

"Every one-dayer we play will tell us where we stand," Misbah had said.

When Pakistan chased down 276 in the rain-shortened first ODI, for a second the fans may have been led into believing that the 1992 champions were on the right track. Maybe this was a team that could be built upon; a couple of changes and the team was set.

Those who have been around for a while wouldn't have made much of that victory in Hambantota, though, as the loss in the second game at the same venue highlighted. The horror-show in the series-deciding third ODI on Saturday gave a clear picture of where exactly Misbah's men stand as World Cup contenders.

Even tougher tests await when Pakistan host Australia and New Zealand in the UAE, October onwards. The results may just be completely different, perhaps there will be a massive turnaround and maybe there will be an unprecedented whitewash too.

But Pakistan's ODI performances in the last couple of years, even with the few big wins here and there, indicate that they are unsure of how to tackle the 50-over game anymore, a perfect example of which is the team combination they keep going in with.

What's happening?

A look at the last five World Cup squads gives a fair idea of how the threat that Pakistan once posed as an ODI outfit has slowly diminished. The quality of players coming through is one reason. But something which is very obvious when glancing at the team rosters is the selection of players.

Let's start with a few things that immediately stand out and Pakistan must address before the World Cup.

Saeed Anwar, one of the most underrated batsmen in the world and a mix of class and aggression was right there at the top providing stability to the batting line at three tournaments. Currently, Pakistan have Ahmed Shehzad, who has done enough to remain a regular at the top but can definitely not be counted upon to be as consistent as Anwar. Shehzad's partners have varied. Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Hafeez, Sharjeel Khan have all appeared at the non-striker's end with Shehzad in recent times. But Jamshed has disappeared off the scene completely, Hafeez is at a crossroads and bats at number three and Sharjeel has his very glaring limitations. The middle order in the past almost always boasted of solid batsmen, and no makeshifts.

The World Cup squads in 96, 99, and 2003 was not only packed with solid batsmen but truly world class bowlers as well. Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Aaqib Javed, Shoaib Akhtar, Saqlain Mushtaq, Mushtaq Ahmed with the addition of genuine all-rounders in Azhar Mahmood, Abdul Razzaq and Shahid Afridi. Afridi transformed into a match-winning bowler much later in his career. Although a lot better, the current attack has many similarities to the 2007 squad which too lacked a leader. With a verdict on Saeed Ajmal's action due soon, the fitness of Umar Gul a big question mark and Mohammad Irfan still some way in finding his rhythm, a spearhead is clearly missing. When it's his day, Shahid Afridi can do it alone, but with him its about being in that zone. When Pakistan were truly a one-day force, the side almost always had a top-class spinner in its ranks. Abdul Qadir, Mushtaq Ahmed, Saqlain Mushtaq and presently Ajmal but it was almost always complimented by quality in the pace department.

When Junaid Khan and Wahab Riaz take wickets it usually comes at the cost of a lot of runs. Khan's last five performances read like this: 6-16-0, 7-44-0, 9-56-1,9-75-0,8-64-1 while Riaz 2-8-0, 6-40-0, 9-50-3, 10-65-4, 6-42-1 were much better either. Riaz is somehow also mistaken for an all-rounder, his rescue efforts with the bat have been far too few to give him that much credit. Fast bowlers must not just make up the numbers, they must take wicket themselves too.

As the World Cup squads of 1999 and 2003 highlighted, captains made sure all basis were covered and the all-rounders picked were genuinely good with both bat and ball. This meant at the 1999 World Cup, Pakistan sometimes went into a match with six quality bowlers: Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Saqlain Mushtaq, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq and Azhar Mahmood. The 99 squad, some argue, was the best Pakistan had ever fielded as far as overall depth was concerned.

Wicket-keepers. Not that Kamran Akmal was the greatest, but there was a time when Pakistan had a genuine glovemen in the squad. Moin Khan and Rashid Latif were exceptional with the gloves but when it mattered they almost always scored a useful cameo. Kamran was once perhaps a much better batsman than the two but his performances behind the stumps were terrible to say the least. Umar Akmal, who's enormously talented with the bat but seldom fires, is the preferred choice nowadays which makes him seem like a half-and-half. He should ideally take the number three spot in the batting order and that must be his only responsibility in the team. Otherwise Sarfraz Ahmed should be in the side and and Umar must make way for another batsman.

Another important factor that is obvious when looking at each of the five squads is that the captain each time was an individual who was an out-and-out match winner. While Misbah is definitely top class and has rescued the side, his ability to turn an ODI on its head is yet to be proven.

So if all goes well and Misbah is retained the captain until the World Cup, as has been declared by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), he can maybe take a cue from the past sides. Not that all squads were successful, the 2003 and 2007 team suffered embarrassing first round exits. But there is a lesson to be learnt from each, particularly the 1999 team. There was no mediocre player in that team and the captain was willing to take risks and change and shuffle the line up. A young Razzaq batted up the order, Saqlain bowled the death overs, Akhtar was given a free license, Yousuf (Youhana), a proper batsman came down at number six and played the big shots and most importantly the team looked like it was always at the throat of the opposition. There is clearly a lack of match winners in the side right now and if the situation calls for trying out a couple of untested players than the team management must act fast.

Pakistan must identify what made them a dangerous ODI outfit in the past and the usefulness of each spot in the line up. They can no longer select a player with the hope that he will come good. They have to be sure that the man they are picking is the right man for the job.