SYDNEY - Wahab Riaz says Pakistan's bowlers have let their side down in this Commonwealth Bank Test series and have not been able to execute their plans correctly against the Australian batsmen.

Pakistan made one change to their bowling line-up for the match, recalling right-arm seamer Imran Khan in place of Sohail Khan after their final-day defeat in Melbourne. But even that didn’t go Pakistan's way today as the former bowled 17 overs without a wicket, although he did create a chance that was spilled by Babar Azam.

Australia's batsmen treated Pakistan's bowlers with disdain and made them look ordinary for a large part of the day, particularly Warner in the opening session.

It's pertinent to mention here that Wahab is normally used once the ball has lost some shine. But once Mohammad Aamir and Imran were taken for runs, the Pakistan captain was left with no other option.

And Wahab was in no doubt as to who was to blame for Australia's dominant day.

"As a bowling unit, if we keep making mistakes and bowling in (Warner's) strong area, we're going to look foolish," he said. "We didn’t bowl well and Australia batted at an extremely good run rate. The conditions today in Sydney were quite close to those we get in Asia. The pitch was little slow. We know how to bowl in these conditions and we should have bowled better here.”

"We admit that we haven’t been successful here. We have not been able to execute our plans and if you are not doing it properly then there is little chance you will take wickets. The credit goes to Warner and co for playing so well. But at the end of the day it’s the bowling unit which isn’t doing good. As a bowling unit we have let our team really down.”

Pakistan has been renown for producing fast and furious bowlers over the decades, but it's this department which has troubled them the most in the recent past.

In the two years between 2014 and 2016 when Pakistan did not lose a Test series and became the number one team in the world, their success was mainly due to the efforts of their batsmen and spin bowlers, notably Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar.

Apart from Sohail's five-wicket haul at The Oval this year and Wahab’s three-wicket spell against England more than 12 months ago, it's hard to think of a fast-bowling effort that played a match-changing role in a Pakistan victory or brought them close to one. Even in the matches where Sohail and Wahab fired, it was the spinners and batsmen who played a bigger role in the win.

And an even more worrying sign for Pakistan is that the five pacers in this squad - who have all played at least one Test in the series - are probably the best available in the country.

The domestic first-class competition has not thrown up a new name in the last couple of seasons and while the likes of Tabish Khan and Sadaf Hussain have been in the wickets, selectors feel their pace is too low by international standards.

For the last few years, matches in domestic cricket in Pakistan have been played in the winter when the wickets have more moisture in them, which is helpful for fast bowlers and thus makes the jump to Test level even more difficult to master. In addition, the ball used in domestic cricket has a more pronounced seam, which is why even bowlers who bowl at no better than medium pace take plenty of wickets but struggle at international level.

And according to many, the problem is likely to remain unless Pakistan improve the quality of pitches and balls used in domestic cricket.

"There is lot difference between the pitches that we get to see in the domestic cricket in Pakistan and those on which we bowl at international level,” said Wahab. "The balls used in the domestic cricket are also different. You need a little more power and pace to maneuver the Kookaburra balls whereas the Gray balls that we use in domestic cricket (are) hard and have a pronounced seam.”

"There is also lot of moisture in the pitches that we use in the domestic cricket in Pakistan, which is helpful for fast bowlers. That is the reason most of our fast bowlers struggle in the second innings as compared to the first innings. We have played our most of the cricket in the UAE where it is tough to perform as a fast bowler. Even if you look at some other bowlers, the likes of Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson, James Anderson and Stuart Broad, they have also struggled in Asia. If we get to bowl on better wickets on which there is a good carry then it will be better for us. You can make batting friendly and flat wickets, but the pitches should have a good carry so that fast bowlers also get some help."