Cricket

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has deemed the pitches prepared for Pakistan's recent Test series against England as "satisfactory," despite the surfaces drawing significant attention for their contrasting nature.In the first Test, Pakistan's flat pitch allowed both teams to amass massive totals, with England setting a record-breaking 827 for 7 declared. However, Pakistan's subsequent innings collapse led to a result that seemed improbable earlier in the match.Following this defeat, Pakistan drastically altered their pitch-making strategy. For the second Test in Multan, they reused the same surface and employed giant fans to dry it out. The third Test in Rawalpindi, a venue known for its lack of spin, also involved fans and heaters to break up the surface.These changes resulted in pitches that provided significant assistance to spinners, with all 40 of England's wickets in the last two Tests falling to spin. Pakistan won the second Test on the fourth day, while the third Test ended before lunch on day three.Despite the contrasting nature of the pitches, England raised no public objections, while Pakistan maintained their right to prepare surfaces that offered them home advantage. The ICC's "satisfactory" rating reflects this view, as it is the lowest rating that does not constitute a censure.The ICC rates pitches and outfields on a scale from "very good" to "unfit." An "unsatisfactory" rating results in one demerit point, while an "unfit" rating incurs three. Grounds that accumulate five or more demerit points within a five-year period are suspended from hosting international cricket for 12 months.This was the third consecutive Test in Rawalpindi where the pitch came under scrutiny. In 2022, the surface was rated "below average" and docked a demerit point, which was later rescinded on appeal.

India's recent home Test series loss to New Zealand has raised concerns about the future of head coach Gautam Gambhir. The team's first home Test series defeat in 12 years, and their first-ever clean sweep in a 3-match series, has brought Gambhir's coaching decisions under scrutiny.One of the key factors contributing to India's downfall was Gambhir's insistence on preparing rank-turners for the Pune and Mumbai Tests. This decision has been criticized by former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali, who believes it was a mistake to abandon the approach of Gambhir's predecessor, Rahul Dravid.Ali praised Dravid's coaching philosophy, which involved preparing pitches that would turn on the last couple of days. In contrast, Gambhir's pitches have allowed even part-time spinners to extract significant turn from the first day.Ali also questioned Gambhir's understanding of player psychology. He believes that Gambhir's aggressive approach, which encourages batsmen to play T10 and T20 style in Test cricket, is unfair to players like Virat Kohli.Gambhir's coaching philosophy and the performances of veterans like Kohli and Rohit Sharma will be crucial to India's success in their upcoming tour of Australia. The team faces a daunting task in the 5-Test series, and Gambhir's ability to guide them through the challenges will be tested.

India's humiliating clean sweep at home against New Zealand has sparked a heated debate over the quality of pitches and the form of the team's star batters. The historic loss has raised questions about the team's preparation for the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.After dominating the Kiwis in the first Test, India suffered a shocking collapse in the second and third Tests. The visitors' spinners, led by Ajaz Patel, exploited the turning tracks to devastating effect, dismissing India for 121 in the third Test.Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh has defended the team's batters, arguing that the pitches were designed to assist spinners and that any bowler could have achieved similar results. He pointed out that previous generations of batters never played on such challenging surfaces.However, fans and experts have criticized the Indian batters for their poor technique and lack of application against spin. They argue that the team's reliance on individual brilliance has cost them dearly.Captain Rohit Sharma has taken full responsibility for the team's debacle, acknowledging that they made several mistakes and were outplayed by New Zealand. He has vowed to address the team's shortcomings before the Australia tour.The clean sweep has raised concerns about India's chances in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The team will need to find a way to counter Australia's formidable pace attack and adapt to the bouncy pitches Down Under.The loss has also highlighted the need for India to develop a more balanced batting lineup. While Rishabh Pant has been a consistent performer, the team needs other batters to step up and contribute.As India prepares for the Australia tour, the team will be under immense pressure to bounce back from this disappointing result. They will need to find a way to improve their batting, bowling, and fielding if they want to challenge the world's top-ranked Test team.

Former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali has launched a scathing attack on the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) pitch curator, Tony Hemming, blaming him for the team's humiliating defeat in the first Test against England in Rawalpindi.Ali, who played 19 Tests and 50 ODIs for Pakistan, took to his YouTube channel to express his frustration over the pitch, which he described as "benign" and "unfit for Test cricket.""We thought the ball would spin on the second day, but it didn't happen even on the fifth day," Ali said. "The curator is from Australia, and he has been a part of the ICC as well. But he doesn't know how to prepare a pitch."Ali pointed to India as an example of how pitches should be prepared, saying that the Indian curators tailor the surfaces to suit their team's strengths."Look at India," Ali said. "The pitch is prepared the way they want to. They want to play spin, so they make the pitch spin. They want to play fast bowling, so they make the pitch fast."Ali's criticism comes after Pakistan's spinners failed to make an impact in the first Test. England's Shoaib Bashir managed to take just one wicket across both innings, while experienced Jack Leach relied on his skills rather than the surface to prove his effectiveness.Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed bowled 35 overs, spilt 174 runs at an economy of 4.97 and went wicketless before being treated in the hospital after being taken ill. Saim Ayub and Samlan Ali Agha tasted success, but it came at the cost of leaking runs heavily.With Pakistan naming a spin-laden playing XI for the second Test in Multan, the pitch is expected to help out the spinners. However, Ali is skeptical, saying that he doesn't expect the surface to be any different from the one in Rawalpindi."I don't think the pitch in Multan will be any different," Ali said. "It will be the same flat, lifeless pitch. We will have to rely on our batsmen to score runs and our bowlers to take wickets on their own."

Pakistan's cricket team is facing a dilemma as they prepare for their upcoming Test series against England. The batters have reportedly requested coach Jason Gillespie to instruct groundsmen to prepare a flat pitch, while former cricketer Basit Ali claims Gillespie has rejected this request.Pakistan's batting unit has struggled in recent times, particularly in their 0-2 whitewash against Bangladesh at home. The batters believe a flat pitch would increase their chances of scoring runs against England's formidable bowling attack.However, Gillespie is reportedly not in favor of completely removing grass from the pitch. He believes a grassy surface would provide more assistance to Pakistan's bowlers, who have also been underperforming."I will give you an inside story. Jason Gillespie has handed a shut-up call to Pakistan batters. He wants the pitch to remain the same that has been prepared by the groundsman," Ali said on his YouTube channel."Pakistan batters wanted to cut off the grass to make it a flat pitch. The pitch curator and Gillespie want to play on the same pitch. I would be really happy if the match took place on a grassy surface and our bowlers took wickets," he added.England, who swept aside Pakistan 3-0 in their previous visit in 2022, will be looking to replicate their success. Veteran batsman Joe Root believes the team's previous experience in Pakistan will be beneficial."Yes, that series has helped us prepare for the coming matches and we have a plan on how to play here. But this is a new series and we have to play well again to win again in Pakistan," Root said."We learned a few things from that series, but (playing against) Pakistan at home is a challenge. Pakistan can definitely take advantage of their home conditions and we also have a couple of new young players eager to establish themselves. It should be an interesting series," he added.Pakistan's cricket team is under pressure to perform after their recent struggles. The Test series against England will be a crucial test for the team and their coach, Jason Gillespie.

Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has launched a scathing attack on a section of the English media for their persistent criticism of Indian pitches prior to a Test series. Gavaskar, while commentating on the first day of the second Test between India and Bangladesh in Kanpur, labeled the English media as "moaners" and "crybabies" for their incessant complaints about Indian pitches that provide spin.Gavaskar's outburst came in the wake of the English media's criticism of the Chepauk pitch during the first Test between India and England earlier this year. The English media had labeled the pitch as "unfair" and "unplayable," despite India's victory in the match.Gavaskar, however, defended the Chepauk pitch, saying that it was a "good cricket pitch" that provided a fair contest between bat and ball. He also pointed out that Indian batsmen had scored runs on the pitch, including Ashwin's century in the first Test."He (Ashwin) actually said in the press conference that you can get a hundred if you apply yourself. So he walked the talk when the moaners were going on saying 'you can't bat here'. Saying and doing all the things like crybabies, typical English media stuff, where they only talk about Indian pitches," Gavaskar said.Gavaskar's comments have sparked a debate on the role of the media in cricket. Some have argued that the media has a right to criticize pitches that they believe are unfair, while others have accused the media of bias against India.The debate is likely to continue in the lead-up to the upcoming Test series between India and England. The English media has already begun to criticize the pitches that have been prepared for the series, but Gavaskar has warned them that they should be prepared for a backlash from the Indian team.

Pakistan's assistant coach, Azhar Mahmood, expressed surprise at the unexpected behavior of the Rawalpindi pitch during the third day of the Test match against Bangladesh. Pakistan had anticipated a seam-friendly surface, but the pitch proved to be slow and low, favoring the batters.Mahmood revealed that Pakistan's decision to field an all-pace attack was based on their belief that the pitch would aid seam bowling. However, the pitch dried out quickly, altering its characteristics. "We were hoping for pace and bounce, but the wicket dried out faster than we expected," Mahmood said.Pakistan's frustration was evident as Bangladesh ground through the early sessions, accumulating runs at a slow pace. Despite regular wickets, an unbeaten 98-run partnership between Litton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim dashed Pakistan's hopes of securing a substantial lead.Mahmood acknowledged that the pitch was not the sole factor in Bangladesh's success. Pakistan's bowling discipline deteriorated in the final overs, allowing the batters to score freely. "We were not disciplined enough in the last 12 overs," Mahmood admitted.The assistant coach also expressed mild bemusement at the pitch's unexpected behavior. "Anyone who looked at the wicket would have thought it would be a seaming track," Mahmood said. "We didn't make a mistake reading the pitch, it just didn't play like we thought it should."Pakistan has been working with Australian curator Tony Hemmings to improve the pitches at Rawalpindi. Mahmood indicated that they will continue to seek Hemmings' expertise to create surfaces that suit their plans.

The Indian cricket team's recent triumph in the 2024 T20 World Cup has overshadowed the controversy surrounding the pitch used in the 2023 ODI World Cup final. However, former India star Mohammad Kaif's allegations that the pitch was deliberately made slow have reignited the debate.Kaif claimed that Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid inspected the pitch for three days before the final and requested a slow track to counter Australia's pace attack. Former batting coach Viram Rathour, who was present for both the T20 and ODI World Cups, has now refuted these allegations.Rathour insists that the pitch was similar to those used in previous matches and that it eased out as the day progressed. He also dismissed the notion that curators operate independently of team influence."When you are moving around the pitch, you have to say just two lines - please don't put water, just reduce the grass. This happens. That is truth. And it should be done. You are playing at home," Kaif had said.Rathour's comments contradict Kaif's claims and suggest that the pitch was not deliberately altered to favor India. However, the controversy highlights the ongoing debate about the role of pitch preparation in international cricket.

ICC Official Resigns Amid Scrutiny of T20 World Cup PitchesA senior official of the International Cricket Council (ICC) has resigned following the conclusion of the T20 World Cup, which was marred by concerns over the quality of pitches used at the Nassau County stadium in New York.The resignation comes just a week before the ICC's annual conference in Colombo, where members were expected to raise the issue. The exact reason for the official's departure remains unclear, but it is believed to be related to the scrutiny of the matches hosted in the US.The pop-up stadium in New York, which was demolished after the group stage, drew criticism for its uneven and difficult-to-bat-on drop-in pitches. The highest total scored at the venue was a mere 137 for 7, while the highest successful chase was 111 for 3.The Nassau County International stadium hosted eight matches in total, including the high-profile India vs Pakistan clash. After the match, the ICC issued a statement acknowledging the poor quality of the pitches and promising to improve the surfaces for the remaining games.The T20 World Cup, which was held from June 1 to 29, was jointly hosted by the US and the West Indies. The tournament was won by Australia, who defeated New Zealand in the final.