“Wasn’t quite helpful…”: Naseem Shah’s brutally honest opinion on Rawalpindi track

The Pakistan bowlers felt helpless at times as the Bangladesh batters took the full advantage of batting-friendly conditions in Rawalpindi to post a mammoth total of 565 before getting bowled out. Pakistan ended the day on 23/1 and trail by a substantial deficit of 94 runs heading into the final day of the Test match.

Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim led the charge with a brilliant knock of 191, complemented by half-centuries from the likes of Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Liton Das, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz.

The pitch, which increasingly favoured the batters as the game progressed, has once again come under scrutiny, sparking debates again over the quality of Test surfaces in Pakistan. 

After Pakistan’s home series against Australia and England in 2022, many critics argued that the pitches were overly favourable to batters, leading to unbalanced contests that did not play to Pakistan’s strengths.

Hopes were high that the new administration would address these concerns by improving the quality of pitches for home Tests. However, the ongoing Test against Bangladesh at Rawalpindi appears to have exposed similar issues.

Pakistan pacer Naseem Shah did not shy away from highlighting the challenges posed by the pitch, seemingly reflecting a broader dissatisfaction within the team over the playing conditions.

“You have to say it out honestly. I believe we have had enough series where we had such pitches. They did their best to prepare a pitch that was helpful, but I think because of the heat, or excessive sunshine, the surface wasn’t quite helpful. We have to think on how we can get the home advantage, because you have to get a match result at any cost,” Naseem said.

“We didn’t get the help we expected from the pitch. But everyone tried their best. It’s not my expertise but we have to use home advantage. If we can’t make green pitches that can help fast bowler, give us pitches which help spinners. Test cricket has progressed a lot now,” Naseem added.

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