RAWALPINDI: The flat pitch at the Pindi Cricket Stadium which led to a draw in the historic first Test between Pakistan and Australia saw Pakistan bowling great Sarfraz Nawaz recall another such wicket in the country which was infamously described as “graveyard” by Australian pace legend Dennis Lillee.
The opening Test of Australia’s first tour of Pakistan since 1998 ended in a stalemate on Tuesday with Pakistan batters piling on the runs and the Australian pace trio of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and skipper Pat Cummins taking just one wicket between them over five days.
Cummins was diplomatic in his post-match press conference but said it wasn’t a traditional Pindi pitch which nullified their pace attack.
And talking to Dawn from London, Sarfraz echoed Cummins’ views.
“Such pitches are in the interest of none; neither competing teams or spectators nor cricket at large,” he said, “and our players get used to such dead pitches and then fail to perform on foreign tours.”
Australia’s three-pronged pace attack, alongside seamer Cameron Green, bowled 93 overs amongst them in Pakistan’s first innings where the hosts amassed 476-4 declared. Of them, only Cummins got a wicket while they collectively gave away 233 runs.
Pakistan bowled out Australia for 459 innings with pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah also ineffective, grabbing a total of three wickets between them.
On Tuesday’s last day, Pakistan openers Abduallah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq both got centuries; the latter getting his second of the Test, but with the match headed for a draw, Cummins didn’t use his pacers much.
“It was disappointing,” Sarfraz said, as he recalled the Faisalabad Test in 1980 where Lillee blasted the pitch at the Iqbal Stadium and asked for his grave made on its side when he dies.
Speedster Sarfraz also played that Test where Lillee went wicketless 42 years ago and saw both sides amass big runs.
Sarfraz took two wickets including that of Greg Chappell who scored 235 in Australia’s 617. Graham Yallop also got 172 for the Aussies.
Pakistan then posted 362-2 thanks to 210 by Taslim Arif.
“Pakistan should have exciting pitches,” said Sarfraz. “With the pitch in Pindi, it’s like we’re going into the past.”
Sarfraz requested Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is patron of Pakistan Cricket Board to look into issue of dead wicket of Pindi and called for wickets of the remaining Tests in Karachi and Lahore to offer something for both bowlers and batters.
“Thousands of the people thronged the Pindi Stadium to watch a historic game but were disappointed by the outcome,” he said.
He also advised the PCB officials not to ignore leg-spinners in Tests.
“I was surprised Pakistan didn’t go with a leg spinner. You are playing Test Series against world best team, but sans a leg spinner is strange,” noted Sarfraz, adding that if Yasir Shah wasn’t fit, Usman Qadir should’ve been made part of the team.
Looking ahead to the second Test in Karachi, Sarfraz added that Pakistan had a good record at the National Stadium and should play attacking cricket.
Published in Dawn, March 9th, 2022
