An image captured at Rawalpindi has shown two large fans, six gas-powered heaters and two giant windbreaks on the playing surface, as Pakistan seek to wear the pitch ahead of the start of their series-deciding third Test against England.
The development comes after Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain called on Pakistan to look at how they prepare their pitches, saying their second-Test win over England on a used surface “cannot be the template”.
Pakistan levelled the three-match series against England with a convincing 152-run win in Multan, on a pitch that had already been used for the series opener, a game in which the tourists triumphed by an innings after scoring 823-7.
The flat pitch finally provided assistance to the bowlers in the second Test, and particularly Pakistan’s spinners Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, who shared all 20 England wickets. Fans were used ahead of that clash in Multan to accelerate the deterioration of the pitch, aiding the threat of spin-bowling.
Now, a widely-circulated picture of Rawalpindi shows three gas-powered heaters at either end of the wicket, aided by oversized fans to blow the air across the surface and windbreaks positioned at either side to stop the hot air escaping.
Pakistan spinner Sajid Khan celebrates one of his nine wickets in their second Test win over England in Multan
“This cannot be the template for future cricket in Pakistan, to keep playing on the same surface,” said Hussain after the second Test. “They need to look at their surfaces.
“But, if they find a winning formula, stick with it. Stick with this squad, stick with these two spinners, stick with the batting line-up, stick with the selectors and the captain.
“Go to Rawalpindi [for the third Test] and try to prepare the same sort of pitch, one that turns.
“Pakistan cricket, and I reckon Test cricket, needed this week more than last week. It was much, much more watchable.”
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Rawalpindi pitch for third Test the ‘flattest of tracks’
Looking ahead to the third Test in Rawalpindi – live on Sky Sports Cricket from 5.30am, Thursday (first ball, 6am) – the early indications had been it would be another flat pitch favouring the batters.
Pakistan have not won in their last four Tests there, including famously losing to England in the opening Test of their 2022 tour, a match in which Ben Stokes’ side blasted 506 runs on the opening day’s play.
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Highlights from day one of the first Test in Rawalpindi in 2022 as England reached a record-breaking 506-4
Pakistan also lost back-to-back Tests to Bangladesh in August, the first of those seeing 1,013 combined first-innings runs scored for a loss of 16 wickets.
“It has been the flattest of flat tracks that you can imagine,” former Pakistan women’s international Urooj Mumtaz said last week.
“They tried to grow a little bit of grass on it [for the Bangladesh Tests], but it was still very, very flat and it did not provide the seam movement they had hoped for – albeit the Pakistan bowlers did not bowl that well and didn’t use conditions particularly well.
“I don’t know how much it will turn, because it hasn’t in the recent past.”
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Following his side’s second Test defeat to Pakistan, England men’s Test head coach Brendon McCullum said Pakistan’s spinners were ‘simply outstanding’ and shared his views on the pitch’s state
Regardless of what pitch they are ultimately presented with in Rawalpindi, it is likely Pakistan will play an extra seamer in place of leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood, who only bowled six overs in the second Test.
Aamer Jamal was the only pace option in their attack, with Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah dropped for the second match of the series in favour of a side containing four front-line spinners and seven in total.
“Some will say the fact they’ve won will justify their team selection but I don’t agree with that at all,” Hussain said. “You still need a balanced side.
“I don’t want everyone to walk out this ground going, ‘right, that’s it, we’ve solved it’, because you may not be able to replicate these conditions.
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First-innings centurion Ben Duckett fell for a two-ball duck second time round as Sajid Khan’s bowling continued to haunt England
“How do they continue the progress of these two spinners that bowled so beautifully here? How do they provide pitches for Naseem and Shaheen? This country has produced some great fast bowlers, so don’t just say, ‘we’re going to go with spin now’.
“They started with green pitches against Bangladesh, now we’re playing on spinning pitches. And that is a problem with Pakistan cricket… when they do lose, then they change the captain, they change the coach, change the selectors, the chairman, they change the pitches.
“And in the same way as don’t get too low when you’re losing, don’t get too up when you’re winning. Try to work out, how do we improve from this position?”
First Test: Multan – October 7-11 – England won by an innings and 47 runs
Second Test: Multan – October 15-19 – Pakistan won by 152 runs
Third Test: Rawalpindi – October 24-28
Watch the third and final Test between Pakistan and England live on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event from 5.30am ahead of the first ball at 6am on Thursday, October 24 as the sides head to Rawalpindi.