The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has requested to the International Cricket Council (ICC) over the resolution to award a deficiency point to the Pindi Cricket Stadium.
The venue in Rawalpindi, which hosted the primarly Test between England and Pakistan in December 2022, was rated ‘below average’ by game referee Andy Pycroft after a high-scoring encounter.
The rather boring pitches, which have been equivalent with Pakistan’s tracks of late, led to England securing 506-4 on Day 1, the maximum tally of runs secured on the initial day of a Test. England ultimately won the match by 74 runs following a bold declaration on Day 4.
James Anderson “The moment that stands out for me was after getting a result on that pitch in Rawalpindi. The ovation we got from the Pakistan fans was not something I have experienced away from England” #PAKvENG #Cricket
— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) December 17, 2022
Following the peak of the Test, game referee Andy Pycroft, after discussion with on-field officials, gave the pitch a ‘below average rating.
The venue accepted the same rating after making a similar surface during the primary Test against Australia in March 2022, a contest that concluded in a tame draw. Pycroft wrote in his report:
“It was a very flat pitch which gave almost no assistance to any type of bowler. That was the main reason why batters scored very fast and both sides posted huge totals. The pitch hardly deteriorated during the course of the match.”
Former Pakistan Cricket Board(PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja, who was at the helm during the series, accepted that the state of the pitch was embarrassing, more so as long as that the chairman is a former cricketer himself. He discribed in reporters:
“It is embarrassing for us, especially when you have a cricketer as chairman. This is not a good advert for cricket. We’re a better cricketing nation than this.”
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