MULTAN: Australia tempo legend Dennis Lillee denounced a pitch in Pakistan as a “graveyard for bowlers” in 1980, however greater than 40 years later little has modified.
Lillee vented his anger after toiling for 21 wicketless overs in Faisalabad in a turgid draw.
All 11 Australian gamers, even wicketkeeper Rod Marsh, had a flip bowling in Pakistan’s second innings of 382-2 in reply to Australia’s 617 all out as the sport petered out into close to farce.
Final week, on a wicket described as “a highway” by former captain Michael Vaughan, England rewrote the file books as they piled up 823-7 declared in reply to Pakistan’s 556 within the first Check in Multan.
The whole was the fourth highest single innings in Check historical past.
Harry Brook plundered 317 at virtually a run a ball and Joe Root grew to become England’s highest Check run scorer throughout his career-best 262.
Their stand of 454 for the fourth wicket was an England file, the fourth highest in historical past and probably the most by any pair taking part in abroad.
Regardless of the lifeless pitch, England’s bowlers pulled off an innings and 47 run victory after Pakistan crumbled to 220 all out of their second innings.
It gave Pakistan an undesirable file — the primary workforce to attain 500 or extra and lose a Check by an innings.
Perennial drawback
England batting nice Kevin Pietersen stated on X that the dearth of assist for bowlers in Multan, the place the second Check begins on Tuesday, was “serving to destroy Check cricket.”
It’s a “perennial drawback,” former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram informed AFP. “For years it has been the identical previous story. Very hardly ever we used to get inexperienced and vigorous pitches within the 1990s and needed to bowl lengthy spell for wickets.”
Rashid Latif, a former Pakistan captain who has studied pitch preparation, stated there was no want for the pitches to be curated so overwhelmingly within the batsmen’s favour.
“We will put together good pitches however our mindset is destructive,” Latif informed AFP.
“There was good grass on the Multan pitch but it surely was shaved off, I do not know on whose needs.”
Former spinner and ex-selector Tauseef Ahmed, a member of Pakistan workforce who performed within the notorious 1980 Faisalabad Check, stated: “Our batters need a flat pitch to attain runs.
“Even in home matches we’ve such pitches in order that gamers rating large and get prominence.”
The final two years has seen Pakistan pitches get much more docile. Every Check wicket there now prices a median of 42.13 runs, the best anyplace on the planet.
Pitch preparation is a science, with specialists saying the best soil combine is round 60 per cent clay with much less sand, reminiscent of that present in Australia.
It produces agency and bouncy tracks which start to take extra spin over 5 days, offering a steadiness between ball and bat.
One native groundsman stated pitches have been a giant drawback in Pakistan.
“There are a number of elements from climate to interference from the workforce administration who need it to go well with them,” stated the curator, who didn’t need to be named.
“That makes the method complicated. A great pitch wants solar to bake it however in some climate we don’t get that,” he stated.
“A Check pitch wanted to be cared for six months or a yr however our pitches are over-used in order that they grow to be flat.”
‘Darkish ages’
Latif stated severe work was wanted to raise the usual of pitches.
“There must be a analysis division beneath a very good geologist to determine how a very good pitch may be ready,” stated Latif.
He additionally wished to see Australian Kookaburra balls utilized in Pakistan ditched for these with a extra distinguished seam to assist bowlers.
“We have to have Grays, Duke or SG balls for our kind of clay, that are hand-stitched,” stated Latif.
Two years in the past, Pakistan and Australia scored 1,187 runs with simply 14 wickets taken in a soporific attract Rawalpindi.
The then Pakistan cricket chief Ramiz Raja blasted the taking part in floor: “We dwell at midnight ages of pitches in Pakistan. This isn’t a very good advert for Check cricket.”
With the second Check beginning in Multan Tuesday and the third in Rawalpindi subsequent week, it appears unlikely the bowlers will get any respite quickly.
