ICC Rates Pakistan's Test Pitches as 'Satisfactory' Following England Series

Pakistan’s Test pitches ahead of the just-concluded three-match series against England received the green signal from the governing body of world cricket-the International Cricket Council (ICC). The three surfaces were rated “satisfactory” by the governing body, which described them as fit for international cricket.

The attention that was going to follow the series won by Pakistan 2-1 was going to be because of the nature of the pitches. The first Test in Multan was notably flat. Pakistan responded with a massive 556. But England came back with a record all-time high score of 827/7 declared, that being the highest total ever made in Pakistan and the fourth in Test history. The game seemed destined for a draw, but Pakistan’s collapse in the third innings forced a result to give England a dominant win.

Pakistan’s Test pitches rated satisfactory in Multan and Rawalpindi

To answer the flat pitch, Pakistan made significant changes for the second and third Tests. A new pitch preparation strategy was introduced by a selection committee headed by former cricketers Aleem Dar and Aqib Javed. They employed the same pitch at Multan for the second Test, using enormous fans in an attempt to dry out the surface. For the third Test at Rawalpindi, which is generally acknowledged to be on the whole dry and non-responsive to spin, they employed large fans and supplementary heaters to break up the surface.

Those were useful experiments, as both deliveries provided enough support to the spinners. In the last two Tests, all 40 wickets of England fell to spinners. On the fourth day’s morning, Pakistan won the second Test while the Rawalpindi Test ended before lunch on day three by Pakistan without much fuss.

While initially raising their voice over pitch preparations, England made very little noise over the issue, and Pakistan defended its rights to prepare surfaces which suited it on its home grounds. The ICC graded the surfaces as “satisfactory,” the lowest rating without any injury or penalty, thus clearing Pakistan’s preparations for future series.