ICC has given a 'below average' rating to the Rawalpindi pitch, used for Pakistan-England Test match.
The Rawalpindi Test was a run-fest for both sides. In fact, the match was heading towards a draw before England made a brave declaration in their second innings at 264/7, setting a target of 343 for the hosts, who were bowled out for 268 minutes before the close of play on Day 5.
The venue also received one demerit point under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process.
“It was a very flat pitch which gave almost no assistance to any type of bowler. That was the main reason why batters scored very fast and both sides posted huge totals. The pitch hardly deteriorated during the course of the match," ICC match referee Andy Pycroft said. “Since there was very little in it for the bowlers, I found the pitch to be “below average” as per the ICC guidelines.”
On Saturday (December 17), PCB chairman Ramiz Raja was enquired about ICC’s decision on the Rawalpindi track and he vented out his anger at the reporter, asking him to move on from the "narrative".
“Yaar pitches dekho, Pakistan ke dono Test matches mai result aaya hai. Iss narrative se bahar niklo. Yeh hamen negative headlines deti hai. Humari cricket ek brand ban chuki hai, agar hum uska khayal nehi rakhenge aur negativity phelane kiliye 10000 aur chezein hai...yeh pani theek nehi hai aur kursiyan theek nehi hai. Har ek pe kaam ho raha hai, thodi patience rakhiye (Both the match produced results. Move on from this narrative. This leads to negative headlines. Our cricket is now a brand and we ourselves must take take of it. If you want to spread negativity there are 10000 other things. We are working on it now and only ask you to have patience.),” Ramiz said.
Notably, the Rawalpindi pitch has received second consecutive 'below average' rating, following the same rating that was given to the pitch after Pakistan's Test against Australia in March 2022.
Given that the venue has now accumulated two demerit points from consecutive Tests, it could be in danger of being suspended from hosting any international cricket if more demerit points are lost.