image sourcePCB
- author, Sami Chaudhry
- position, Cricket analyst
After a long time, Pakistan has had a bumper home season of Test cricket which could brighten its chances in the World Test Championship. But these chances are more related to the quality of pitches that PCB will provide for international cricket than Pakistan’s on-field performance.
Bangladeshi all-rounder Naeem Hasan believes that Rawalpindi’s pitch will be ‘flat’ in the first Test match and the competition will be one of patience. But Pakistan has given a different message by releasing the only sniper Abrar Ahmed from their squad.
In the two Tests played here before the Test starting on Wednesday morning, the behavior of the pitch was so erratic that England captain Ben Stokes and Australian captain Pat Cummins described it as disappointing, the ICC said. The rating warning had been issued and the then chairman PCB Ramiz Raja had said that Pakistan was lagging behind the rest of the world in the preparation of pitches.
But that too was the same pitch in Rawalpindi where Pakistan and South Africa had faced each other three years ago, then this pitch was green with grass and the seamers ruled so much that the 300 mark was not touched even once in the four innings. .
And something must be in the mind of the ground curator like the head coach Jason Gillespie, that the team of Shaun Masood, who entered the field without a specialist sniper for the first time in 28 years, wants to do this from the pitch where they can attack with the new ball. Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah were eager.
image sourcePCB
The weather in Rawalpindi over the past few weeks has been perfect for preparing such a verdant pitch and a pacer-laden Pakistani attack could afford a pitch where the five-day match is over before the fourth evening sun sets.
Under the leadership of Shaun Masood, his aggressive personality is reflected and despite defeats like the one his team resisted against Australia on their first overseas tour, he could help lay the foundation for a new identity for Pakistan cricket. .
Shaun Masood’s aim here will not only be a clean sweep against Bangladesh and the key points of the World Test Championship, but he will have to achieve these victories with full authority to create a new identity for Pakistan cricket.
Because the opposite Bangladeshi team is under the weight of the disappointing domestic conditions and the future of the team like the cricket board is also surrounded by many question marks, this is the opportunity for Pakistan to fully identify itself. Compile and break the shameful record of not winning a home test for two years.
Although the Bangladeshi team has had an impressive Test record on home grounds in the last two-and-a-half years, those achievements have been due to the exploits of excellent spinners in spinning conditions. But, Pakistan cannot afford to provide the visiting team with conditions in which the Bangladeshi spinners can be satisfied.
image sourcePCB
In such a situation, it will be a test for the Bangladeshi pacers to see how they can crack a solid Pakistani middle-order while in terms of ability and experience they are far behind their pace attack led by Shaheen Afridi.
There is no good news for the visiting team on the batting front as opener Mahmoodul Hasan Joy has been ruled out of the first test match due to an injury. His unavailability is a separate headache for Bangladesh head coach Hathurosinghe, who is already facing more political than cricketing questions in press conferences.
But the positive side for Bangladesh in this whole scenario is that they have stability in the middle order in the form of Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan and Mominul Haq, who can use their experience to resist the hosts. Can leave captain Shaun Masood scratching his head.
But the only problem is that if the conditions are favorable for Pace as expected, will the Bangladeshi top order be able to resist the invasion of Pakistani pacers enough that the shine of the ball has dimmed by the time the middle order is tested?
