The surfaces Pakistan prepared for the recently concluded three-Test series against England received the seal of approval from the ICC, which rated the pitches for all three Tests as “satisfactory”.
The series, which Pakistan won 2-1, attracted a lot of attention for the prepared pitches. In the first Test, the surface looked extremely flat: Pakistan posted 556 before England piled up 827 for 7 declared, the highest total ever made by Pakistan and the fourth highest in the history of Test
cricket. It was only a Pakistan collapse in the third innings that forced a result that seemed extremely unlikely when, halfway through the fourth day of the Test, the second innings had not yet concluded.
After that defeat in that innings, Pakistan radically changed their pitch preparation philosophy. A new selection committee including Aleem Dar and Aqib Javed decided to reuse the same surface for the second Test in Multan, using giant fans to dry the pitch. Preparation for the third test in Rawalpindi, a place that has historically had little effect, also involved large fans, as well as wedding-style heaters with windbreaks to help break up the surface.
Both fringes provided plenty of help to the spinners, with sharp, early spin as well as uneven bounce, and England’s 40 wickets in the last two Tests began to spin. Pakistan won the second Test on the morning of the fourth day, while the Pindi Test did not even make it to lunch on the third day.
There was little public complaint from England, and Pakistan maintained that it was within their rights to prepare surfaces that would give them home advantage after their heavy defeat on a flat track in the first Test. The ICC appears to have accepted that view, giving each of the strips the lowest rating that does not amount to censorship.
The ICC rates pitches and outfields for all international games on a scale of very good to unsuitable: very good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory and unsuitable. Places are awarded one demerit point for an unsatisfactory grade and three for an unsuitable grade. If any ground receives five or more demerit points in a consecutive five-year period, it is suspended from hosting any international cricket for 12 months.
This was the third consecutive Test at Pindi where the pitch came under scrutiny. In March 2022, the surface was rated “below average” on the scale the ICC used at the time, and had one demerit point removed. He was given the same rating for the Test against England that same year and was awarded another demerit point, although this was later overturned on appeal.
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