The surfaces prepared by Pakistan for the recently concluded three-Test series against England have received the seal of approval from the ICC, which has rated the pitches in the three Tests as “satisfactory”.
The series, which Pakistan won 2-1, drew attention to the prepared pitches. In the first Test, the surface looked extremely flat, with Pakistan posting 556 before England piled up 827 for 7 declared, Pakistan’s highest ever total and the fourth highest in Test history. cricket. It was only a third-innings collapse by Pakistan that forced a result that seemed extremely unlikely when, midway through the fourth day of the Test, the second innings was yet to be completed.
After this defeat, Pakistan drastically changed their pitch preparation philosophy. A new selection committee comprising Aleem Dar and Aqib Javed decided to reuse the same surface for the second Multan Test, using giant fans to dry the pitch. Preparation for the third Test in Rawalpindi – a venue that has historically taken little turn – also involved large fans as well as wedding-style heaters with windbreaks to help break up the surface.
Both strips provided plenty of help to the spinners, with sharp, early turns as well as uneven bounce, and all 40 England wickets in the last two Tests fell on spin. Pakistan won the second Test on the morning of the fourth day, while the Pindi Test didn’t even make it to lunch on the third day.
There were few public complaints from England, and Pakistan maintained they had the right to prepare surfaces that gave them home advantage after their crushing defeat on a flat track in the first test. The ICC appears to have accepted this view, giving each of the bands the lowest rating that does not constitute censorship.
The ICC rates pitches and outfields for all international matches on a scale from very good to unfit: very good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory and unfit. Sites are awarded one demerit point for an unsatisfactory rating and three for an unsuitable rating. If a ground receives five or more demerit points in a rolling five-year period, it is suspended from hosting all international cricket for 12 months.
This was the third consecutive Test at Pindi where the pitch was under intense scrutiny. In March 2022, the surface received a “below average” rating on the scale used at the time by the ICC, and received one demerit point. He received the same rating for the Test against England later that year and was awarded another demerit point, although this was later overturned on appeal.
