Should ICC ban flat batting pitches from Tests?
1187 runs for 14 wickets. The first Test match between Pakistan and Australia in Rawalpindi resulted in a drab draw. The pitch had nothing in it for the bowlers, and the batters made merry on this surface.
As many as three batters slammed centuries, and not even three innings were completed in the entire Test match. And, this pitch, that was completely tilted in favour of the batters brings us to an important question. Is it time for the ICC to ban these flat batting surfaces to keep Test cricket alive?
Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Hafeez called the pitch ‘dead’. Adding that a result for either side was not possible because of the nature of the pitch, Hafeez even stated that resulted oriented pitches should be made instead of pitches like the one in Rawalpindi.
“Slow and dead pitch.. above all low intent so far fading out chances of result in this historic test match. One team have to play very poorly to give a result in this test match. Result-oriented cricket is the future of Test cricket not dead drawn games please,” tweeted Mohammad Hafeez.
Yes, the balance between bat and ball is something which is extremely crucial for Test match cricket. The Rawalpindi pitch was not the best advertisement for the longest format of the game. The pitch had no life in it for the bowlers, and it was truly a batter’s paradise.
Australian skipper Pat Cummins too minced no words and stated that Pakistan had prepared such a surface in a bid to nullify the effect of the pace bowlers. “Turning up to a pitch that’s probably not a traditional pitch you would get here in Rawalpindi, and it’s probably clear they’ve made an effort to try and nullify the pace bowling,” said Cummins after the match.
At a time when T20 cricket has emerged as the most popular format of the game, the pitches like the one in Rawalpindi certainly do not do anything to augment the heath of Test cricket. The International Cricket Council (ICC) must definitely intervene and make sure that such insipid and ‘dead’ batting wickets are not prepared in the future.
