PAK Vs BAN, 1st Test: Naseem Shah Lashes Out At PCB Over Rawalpindi Pitch, Says ‘Must Leverage Our Home Advantage’

New Delhi: Pakistan’s fast pacer Naseem Shah has expressed his disappointment at the Rawalpindi pitch amidst the ongoing first Test against Bangladesh, stating that the wickets have been over-friendly to the batters, providing very little assistance to the bowlers. The Pakistan Cricket Board has faced much criticism for the quality of pitches prepared for home Tests. In response, the Board announced the appointment of Tony Hemming as the head of the curator department, hoping for improvements in future matches.

Ahead of the first Test against Bangladesh at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, there were expectations that a green-top pitch would be on offer for the fast bowlers. However, the actual pitch turned out to be different from what was anticipated. “I think we’ve had plenty of series now where we’ve had such home pitches,” Shah said after fourth day’s play.

“I think they tried their best to make the pitch helpful for bowlers, but maybe due to heat only with the new ball, it was helpful, and after that, conditions settled down,” said Shah. “We must leverage our home advantage by tailoring pitches that suit us. If we can’t prepare a green pitch, we can try a spin-friendly track—but we should always entertain the fans.”

“Our mindset was that the pitch here would help fast bowlers. But the conditions weren’t the way I expected. Obviously, when you go with four fast bowlers, your mindset is to attack with pacers,” added the 21-year-old.  Earlier, Pakistan released spinner Abrar Ahmed from the squad and opt for a four-man pace attack.

However, Pakistan are staring at defeat on fifth and final day of the first Test. Resuming on Sunday at 23/1 and 94 runs in deficit, Pakistan lost captain Shan Masood (14) in the second over of the day when fast bowler Hasan Mahmud found a faint edge and had the Pakistan skipper caught behind.