ICC gives its ratings to the Multan and Rawalpindi pitches after the much-publicised Pakistan vs England test series.
ICC has given a seal of approval to the pitches for the Pakistan-England series by labeling them “satisfactory”.
The constructed pitches attracted a lot of attention during the series, which Pakistan won 2-1. The wicket seemed incredibly flat during the first Test, as Pakistan scored 556 before England amassed 827 for 7. It is the greatest total ever scored in Pakistan and the fourth-highest in Test cricket history. Halfway through the fourth day of the Test, with the second innings still unfinished, Pakistan’s collapse in the third innings was the only thing that forced a result that had seemed improbable.
Pakistan drastically altered their approach to pitch preparation after that innings loss. For the second Multan Test, a new selection committee including Aleem Dar and Aqib Javed chose to use the same ground, drying it out using enormous fans. Large fans and wedding-style heaters with windbreaks were also used to assist break up the surface during the preparations for the third Test in Rawalpindi, a location that has traditionally taken minimal spin.
With their sharp, early turn and irregular bounce, both strips were very helpful to spinners. All 40 of England’s wickets in the previous two Test matches fell to spin. On the morning of the fourth day, Pakistan emerged victorious in the second Test. However, the Pindi Test failed to reach lunchtime on the third day.
After their humiliating loss on a flat track in the first Test, Pakistan insisted they had the right to construct surfaces that gave them home advantage, and England made few public complaints. By assigning each strip the lowest grade that does not qualify as a censure, the ICC seems to have agreed with that viewpoint.
On a scale of very excellent to unfit, the ICC assigns ratings to all international games’ pitches and outfields. Very good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory, and unsuitable. Venues that receive an unsatisfactory rating receive one demerit point, while those that receive an unfit rating receive three. A ground is barred from hosting any international cricket for a whole year if it accumulates five or more demerit points over a five-year rolling period.
This was the third Test in a row that the pitch was questioned in Pindi. According to the ICC’s then-current rating system, the surface received a “below average” grade in March 2022. It was subsequently docked a penalty point. It received another demerit point and the same grade for the Test match against England later that year. But this was eventually revoked on appeal.