Andy Pycroft of Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees awarded the Rawalpindi pitch which hosted the first Test match of the three-game series, between England and Pakistan, a “below-average” rating. Further, the venue was awarded one demerit point under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process. Chief PCB RamizRaja was asked Saturday about the ICC decision regarding the Rawalpindi pitch. He fumed at the reporter and asked him to stop narrating.
“It was very flat and provided almost no support to any kind of bowler. This was the reason that batters scored quickly and both sides posted large totals. Pycroft stated that the pitch did not suffer any damage during the match. “Because there was not much for the bowlers to do, I considered the pitch “below average” according to the ICC guidelines.
Ramiz arrived in Karachi on Saturday to begin Day 1 of the third Test between England and Pakistan. One of the reporters asked Ramiz about the Rawalpindi pitch rating. He snapped at him.
“Yaar pitches dekho, Pakistan ke dono Test matches mai result aaya hai. Iss narrative se bahar niklo. Yeh hume negative headlines deti hai. Humari cricket ek brand ban chuki hai, agar hum uska khayal nehi rakhenge aur negativity phelane kiliye 10000 aur chezein hai…yeh pani theek nehi hai uar kursiyan theek nehi hai. Har ek kaam ho hai, thodi patient rakhiye. Both the match produced results. Let’s move on from this story. Negative headlines are the result. We must recognize that cricket has become a brand. There are 10000 things that can spread negativity. We are currently working on it and ask for your patience. He said, “
After hosting the match between Australia and Pakistan earlier this year, Rawalpindi was awarded a second demerit point.
