HAVING watched cricket in front of capacity crowds during the English summer recently, this one at Dubai with empty seats around me and may be with three or four dozen people in attendance is no less than poor publicity for Test cricket.

Unfortunately, though this has been a regular feature when it comes to this format of the game in this part of the world where Pakistan hosts the visitors.

Australia, the visitors on this occasion, have had such experiences before in these surroundings where pitches favour the batsmen and where be it pace or spin is treated with disdain because of lack of assistance off the pitch where the ball comes straight and spin not distinct.

Which obviously reminds me of a series in Pakistan in 1980-81 when when master of pace and swing Dennis Lillee, a superb specimen of a fast bowler struggled all the way on the Pakistan tour.

No matter how faster he bowled and no matter how threatening he tried to present himself, he was reduced to a mediocre self by the Pakistan batsmen on the Faisalabad pitch where if I remember Taslim Arif made a double century, Javed Miandad a hundred each to take Pakistan score over 600 runs in reply to Australia’s over 600 runs scored earlier.

Greg Chappell the captain had a double century and Graham Yallop a century.

More or less the pitches at the Dubai Sports Stadium are very much similar in character where Pakistan openers Mohammad Haffeez and Imam-ul-Haq kept the Australian attack at bay till after tea sharing in the process a stand of 205.

Hafeez playing Test cricket after two years absence had lot to prove to his critics and he did it clinically to notch up a hundred, his tenth in Test, proving once again that he loves the pitches here than anywhere else.Imam batted with effortless ease playing every delivery on merit, be it Michell Starc or Peter Siddle or Nathan Lyon or Jon Holland.

In their partnership there was all simplicity, presenting a straight face of the bat to deliveries with no movement and no sign of any turn and no u-turns, and no reverse sweeps. Seemed alright for us watching from behind the fence as they drove cut and defended without much fuss.

Fine for them in the middle and disappointing for the Australian bowlers who harder they tried the difficult it became. That certainly not good publicity for the longer format of the game when pitches are featherbeds and not presenting much help for the struggling bowlers. Crowd or no crowd, Test cricket needs sporting pitches to offer equal opportunity to both bowler and the batsmen.

The charm of crowd support and enthralling cricket when minimised by lack of crowd and irresponsive pitches the game loses its appeal and its popularity.

That is what worries me cricket is played in an environment such as here where only smaller format of the game is preferred as compared to the main course.

Pakistan, having chosen to bat first, have done well so far if we take into account the first day’s play. Thanks much to the effort of Hafeez and Imam. The rest now need to bat with as much application to finish with a respectable score in the end and give their bowlers a chance to keep the game in their grip. Because Australia minus Steve Smith and David Warner can still be impressive on this lifeless track.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2018