Pakistan’s top bowler on the placid Rawalpindi track, Naseem Shah, was left frustrated with yet another low-pep pitch in a home Test match against Bangladesh on Saturday, August 24. Bangladesh not only took a 117-run lead on Day 4 but also piled on 565 runs in their first innings. This is not the first time that batsmen have ruled Test matches in Pakistan and it has been the same story for the past few years, be it against Australia, England, New Zealand or now Bangladesh.
“We have to be honest,” said a frustrated Naseem, who bowled over 27 overs in the first innings and took three wickets. “It’s been too many series where we’ve been getting these kinds of pitches. The ground staff tried their best to make this pitch good to bowl to, but perhaps because of the heat and the sun, the pitch doesn’t help much.”
In 2022, only 14 wickets had fallen in five days in a Test match against Australia at this same venue. It is happening more frequently in Rawalpindi and Karachi, where the same thing has happened with bowlers, who bowl day in and day out for five days with virtually no reward.
“We have to think about how to take advantage of the home advantage because we have to find a way to get results in these games, otherwise we are not taking advantage of the home advantage,” added the player, who was playing a trial match after a year.
The nature of the wickets forced Naseem Shah to suggest a rethink of the wicket-making strategy. Shah said that if his version of seamer-friendly wickets is not working, Pakistan should resort to literally “spin tracks” so that they can make the most of the home-field advantage and make Test cricket entertaining again in the country instead of the boring draws, which the ongoing game is heading towards.
“If we are not able to play the kind of pitches that help fast bowlers, then we should see if we can produce wickets with spin. Either way, we have to take advantage of the home advantage. People come to enjoy Test cricket in this heat, so we have to entertain them. What should not happen is that you are on the field at home and think it is hard work. The more entertaining the cricket, the better. It is something we have to think seriously about,” Naseem added.
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