Naseem Shah Criticizes PCB Over Rawalpindi Pitch For PAK Vs BAN 1st Test, Urges Team to Make the Most of Home Advantage

New Delhi: Pakistan’s young fast bowler Naseem Shah has raised concerns about the Rawalpindi pitch during the ongoing first Test against Bangladesh. Shah expressed his frustration at the pitch being too favorable to the batsmen, with minimal support for the bowlers. The Pakistan Cricket Board has been under scrutiny for the substandard pitches provided in home Tests. In an effort to address this issue, the Board has appointed Tony Hemming as the new head of the curator department, aiming for better pitch conditions in upcoming matches.

Ahead of the first Test against Bangladesh at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, there were expectations that a green-top pitch would be on offer for the fast bowlers. However, the actual pitch turned out to be different from what was anticipated. “I think we’ve had plenty of series now where we’ve had such home pitches,” Shah said after fourth day’s play.

“I think they tried their best to make the pitch helpful for bowlers, but maybe due to heat only with the new ball, it was helpful, and after that, conditions settled down,” said Shah. “We must leverage our home advantage by tailoring pitches that suit us. If we can’t prepare a green pitch, we can try a spin-friendly track—but we should always entertain the fans.”

“Our mindset was that the pitch here would help fast bowlers. But the conditions weren’t the way I expected. Obviously, when you go with four fast bowlers, your mindset is to attack with pacers,” added the 21-year-old.  Earlier, Pakistan released spinner Abrar Ahmed from the squad and opt for a four-man pace attack.

However, Pakistan are staring at defeat on fifth and final day of the first Test. Resuming on Sunday at 23/1 and 94 runs in deficit, Pakistan lost captain Shan Masood (14) in the second over of the day when fast bowler Hasan Mahmud found a faint edge and had the Pakistan skipper caught behind.