Pakistan fans slam ‘pathetic’ Rawalpindi pitch and call it a ‘disgrace to cricket’
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‘We’ve been waiting so long for this series and this is what we’re getting!’: Pakistani fans beat up the ‘pathetic’ Rawalpindi pitch, calling it a ‘disgrace to cricket’ as England thumped 506 on a crazy opening day in their first test match in the country 17 years
- The revolution under Brendon McCullum continued with brutal displays of beating
- Four England batsmen reached centuries – the first time it happened in one day
- The fastest a team has ever reached 500 as England defeated Pakistan at the sword
- Pakistani fans left in disbelief as yet another lifeless deck is produced for Test
Pakistani supporters were incredulous when a lifeless pitch was produced for the England test team’s first visit to the country in 17 years.
Brendon McCullum’s side picked up where they left off in the summer with a relentless run-scoring display as four batsman – Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook – all reached centuries. Joe Root is the only member of the top five to miss out.
Despite the day being shortened – with only 75 overs bowled due to poor light – England reached 506/4 at the end, the highest ever score by a team on the opening day of a Test and the fastest a team has ever reached 500 .
Pakistani supporters fired into Rawalpindi’s pitch as England reached 506/4 at the end
Pakistan’s attack continued to curse the pitch once again with the flat Rawalpindi deck giving them nothing in a replay of their series against Australia earlier in the year.
Reacting to the barely credible events, host nation supporters criticized the wicket, saying it deserved better than the wickets served.
“The excited and mad cricket fans of Rawalpindi and Islamabad do not deserve to have fields and roads put together for Test cricket at Pindi Cricket Stadium,” one supporter wrote.
Zak Crawley reached his third Test century as he and Ben Duckett laid the groundwork for England
Ben Duckett – playing his first Test in six years – hit a blistering barrel to ensure a glorious return
Another seemed more existential, suggesting Test cricket’s death will only be hastened by producing such pitches.
“Pitches like this are the reason Test Cricket will die,” they wrote.
Another suggested that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should be ashamed of what they produced for the first test.
“Pakistan is currently the worst country in the world to host a test match,” they wrote. PCB should be ashamed of their pitch. Disappointing their fans time and time again.’
Ollie Pope (pictured) soon followed, but the England batsman was helped by a lifeless pitch
The PCB drew criticism when Australia visited the country earlier this year in a tight series that engulfed the tourists 1-0. The three-match run was defined by long innings aided by flat wickets that offered little or no help to struggling bowlers.
There were few exciting matches between bat and ball, with the batsmen from Pakistan and Australia both taking the upper hand for large parts of the series. Only 14 were lost in the first Test between the two countries – a game dubbed by Wisden as one of the ‘dullest’ in history.
Harry Brook briefly looked forward to heading towards England’s fastest ever Test century
“This pitch is an absolute disgrace for testing cricket. We’ve been waiting for this series for a long time and this is what we got,” one supporter wrote. ‘Shame on you, Ramiz Raja. Cricket is for entertainment, if you keep making pitches like this people will stop watching Test cricket in Pakistan.”
Another supporter called watching Test cricket in Pakistan “torture”.
“Watching test cricket in Pakistan is nothing short of torture. Such pitches are truly a disgrace to our bowling unit, I feel sorry for them,” they wrote on social media.