'I did have a say in pitch preparation'

"But I was left disappointed twice," reveals Pak captain Inzamam-ul-Haq.

Having drawn flak for failing to ensure result-oriented tracks in the first two Tests against India, Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has revealed that he had sought "hard and bouncy" tracks but did not get whatever he asked for.

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"Yes, it is true I did have a say in the preparation of these pitches but the truth is what I asked for was not prepared in the first two Tests. I know the strength and weaknesses of my team and I was confident when asking the curators to prepare a hard and bouncy pitch," Inzamam said.

"But I don't know for whatever reasons I was left disappointed twice. Thankfully, we got a good track in Karachi where the surface was not fast but there was some seam movement for the bowlers and we exploited it well to win the Test," he was quoted as saying in The News on Thursday.

He said it was a totally wrong concept that the Pakistan team did not want tracks with pace and movement.

"Believe me, what I asked for, we didn't get in Lahore and Faisalabad. Whatever the reasons for that, it hurts me when fingers are pointed at us."

The Pakistan captain said there was perhaps a need for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to consult a foreign curator who could help put in place a system for preparing good Test pitches.

"That is the conclusion I have come to after what I have been through in this series. People and critics are still pointing fingers at me saying I was responsible for the dead tracks used for the first two Tests in Lahore and Faisalabad."

"I don't know how our curators work but I don't think it is impossible to get good Test tracks that produce results here in Pakistan," Inzamam said.