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Pakistan vs Australia: Rawalpindi pitch used for 1st Test rated as 'below average', venue receives one demerit point
Match referee Ranjan Madugalle said that the pitch hardly changed over the course of the five days and showed almost no deterioration after the Rawalpindi Test petered out to a draw.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday rated the pitch that was used for the first Test between Pakistan and Australia at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi as "below average". The venue has thus received a demerit point under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process.
"The character of the pitch hardly changed over the course of five days and that there has been no deterioration apart from the bounce getting slightly lower. The pitch did not have a great deal of pace and bounce in it for the seamers nor assisted the spinners as the match progressed," Ranjan Madugalle of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees stated in an official statement.
"In my view, this does not represent an even contest between bat and ball. Therefore, in keeping with the ICC guidelines, I rate this pitch as below average," he added.
Only three innings was played as the match petered out to a draw over the course of five days. Pakistan openers Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique scored unbeaten centuries as Pakistan scored 252 without losing any wicket on the fifth and final day.
On Wednesday, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja issued a statement on the pitch in the 1st Test, where he said that they cannot prepare “fast or bouncy pitches” and make the conditions more favourable for the Aussies.
“I understand the fans' frustration and it would have been great if there was a result in this Test match. But do remember that this is a three-Test series and there is a lot of cricket left to be played. We cannot make a fast or bouncy pitch for the heck of it and put the conditions in Australia's lap. It is important that when we play at home, we play according to our strengths,” Ramiz said.
Both the teams will be squaring off for the second Test of the three-match series on Saturday at National Stadium, Karachi.
