Salman Butt Reckons Rawalpindi Is A Result Oriented Pitch After 1st Test Ended In A Dull Draw

Mar 10, 2022 at 2:55 PM

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Salman Butt Reckons Rawalpindi Is A Result Oriented Pitch After 1st Test Ended In A Dull Draw

Salman Butt, the former Pakistan captain didn’t mince his words as he criticized the Pakistan Cricket Board over the pitch in Rawalpindi. In a strong-worded criticism of the pitch conditions, Salman Butt said that Rawalpindi is a “result-oriented pitch.”

The first Test between Pakistan and Australia ended in a dull draw in Rawalpindi. Pakistan, batting first, declared their first innings on 476/4 before bowling the visitors out on 459. However, there wasn’t much time left in the game to induce a result after the Australian innings ended. The Pakistan openers, both of whom were unbeaten, batted the entire fifth day to ensure a draw.

Pakistan's Imam-ul-Haq (L) shakes hands with Australia's captain Pat Cummins after a draw in the first Test cricket match between Pakistan and Australia at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on March 8, 2022. | AFP
Pakistan’s Imam-ul-Haq (L) shakes hands with Australia’s captain Pat Cummins after a draw in the first Test cricket match between Pakistan and Australia at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi on March 8, 2022. | AFP

Salman Butt Reckons 1st Test At Rawalpindi Was Treated Like A Practice Game

Throughout the course of the first Test at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, the condition of the pitch came under a significant scanner. Deemed a lifeless pitch by many fans and experts alike, the first Test saw only 14 wickets falling with Australia taking only four.

Many players including former Pakistan captains Inzamam-ul-Haq and Shahid Afridi have called for sporting pitches in the remaining two games of the series in Karachi and Lahore, and another former skipper Salman Butt has now joined the debate.

Imam-ul-Haq @ AFP
Imam-ul-Haq @ AFP

“Against South Africa, Hasan Ali performed brilliantly (five-wicket hauls in both innings) in Rawalpindi. Was that stadium somewhere else? So I don’t understand who is passing what information. Anyone who opens the stat will find out the truth,” said Butt on his official YouTube channel.

“Pindi is a result-oriented pitch. In first-class matches, people complain that matches end here in 2.5 days.”

Left-arm spinner Nauman Ali took a career-best 6-107 on the grassless pitch to give Pakistan a 17-run first-innings lead. Imam-ul-Haq followed his 157 in the first innings total of 476-4 declared with an unbeaten 111 in his first test since November 2019.

Further criticising the pitch, Salman Butt said that the people at the helm of cricket in Pakistan need to be braver.

“Please tell me what’s wrong with Pakistan pitches. Pitches aren’t bad, it’s the brains that are rotten. The people who are at the helm of cricketing affairs.. it’s their weakness in underestimating themselves that we cannot play. Imam is in the team since 2019. It’s 2022 now. You don’t have confidence in him?” said Butt.

“Apart from him, Abdullah Shafique is coming into the team after scoring runs against Bangladesh and the PSL. This game was treated as a practice game.”

Imam-ul-Haq’s opening partner, Abdullah Shafique, also prospered to record his maiden test hundred and was unbeaten on 136 when Pakistan finished the fifth and final day on 252-0 in its second innings, leading by 269 runs.

Salman Butt Insisted To Make Aggressive Pitches

The former Pakistan captain insisted that in the remaining two games, the pitches need to be more sporting.

“I think this is not the right approach. I read somewhere that commentators were requested to not talk about the pitch. I read this on Twitter. I hope that isn’t the case,” said Butt.

Salman Butt. Image-Twitter
Salman Butt. Image-Twitter

“You make spinning pitches. You make pitches that assist reverse swing. Make aggressive surfaces. On this surface, there was nothing for anyone.”

A combined total of 1,187 runs were scored for just 14 wickets over five days as the famed Australian pace trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood – with 674 Test wickets between them before this match – got just one more.

Pakistan 476 for 4 dec (Azhar 185, Imam 157, Shafique 44, Cummins 1-62, Lyon 1-161) and 252 for 0 (Shafique 136*, Imam 111*) drew with Australia 459 (Khawaja 97, Labuschagne 90, Smith 78, Nauman 6-107)

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