Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) drew a lot of flak from the cricketing world over the state of Rawalpindi track for the first Test between England and Pakistan.
The Rawalpindi Test was a run fest for both sides and England broke the record for the highest score on the opening day, posting 506/4 in 75 overs. The visitors eventually went on to win the Test match by 74 runs and took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
It wasn't the first time when the pitch at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium came under the scanner. Earlier this year, the ground had produced a high-scoring draw between Pakistan and Australia and the ICC gave it a demerit point.
In an interview with Sky Sports Cricket, PCB chief Ramiz Raja opened up on the pitch concerns at the venue and made a rather controversial comment.
When former England skipper Michael Atherton asked Ramiz about the reasons behind the unresponsive wicket, the PCB chairman said that their “real test” was against Australia, adding that they didn’t need a great pitch versus Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, who toured the country before the Pat Cummins-led side.
“When you see previous instances, we had series against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. You didn't need a great pitch, unfortunately. I'm not trying to belittle the talent these teams possess, or lack of talent, (but) it was easier to beat them. South Africa was a good series but they don't travel well to subcontinent. So, our real test was always against Australia,” Ramiz said.
“The idea was to prepare a pitch that had reverse and spin. But because we don't have the mastery and artistry to prepare a five-day pitch, we struggled badly. We took the grass off and the pitch dried completely, and it backfired. In Multan, you know here that it will spin from ball one.”
The PCB chief also stated that the board roped in Australian curators for the final Test of the series after the first two matches ended in draws. Australia had won the third Test in Lahore by 115 runs to clinch the series 1-0.
“But we haven't done a great deal regarding the science that goes behind, hence the drop-in pitch scenario. And I'm keen to experience that. We got Australian curators here, we assigned Australian curators for the last Test match against Australia to get a result. We were desperate,” said Ramiz.
