LAHORE: Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board Ramiz Raja has opened up about the pitch used in the recently-concluded first Test between Pakistan and Australia in Rawalpindi, which ended in a tame draw on Tuesday.
Speaking in a video released by the PCB, Raja threw his weight behind the flat track in Rawalpindi.
“I understand fans’ frustration and a result would have been good but this is a three-match series. We need to remember that there is a lot of cricket to come still. Just for the heck of it, we don’t want to prepare a fast and bouncy pitch and play into Australia’s hands,” said Raja.
“We also had limited resources for this Test…when you have a disturbed bowling and batting pair which is raw, you prepare according to that. Then we didn’t have a leg-spinner ready because Yasir Shah was unfit,” he added.
Raja admitted that “a drawn Test match isn’t good advertisement for Test cricket” but he reiterated his stance on making good pitches all over Pakistan.
“I came in September and the season had already started. It takes five to six months to prepare a pitch. When the season finishes you will see that we are bringing in soil from Australia and we are experimenting here with soil experts. We will redo 50-60 pitches all over Pakistan as soon as our season ends in March-April,” he said.
The second Test between the two sides will be played in Karachi from March 12.
