'Hamza is bowling on a road': Doull disappointed with pitches in Karachi
The second Test between Pakistan and New Zealand is currently being played in Karachi
Former New Zealand cricketer and renowned commentator Simon Doull has criticised the pitches being used for the ongoing Test series between the Kiwis and Pakistan.
Speaking on the sidelines of the second Test in Karachi, which has hosted both matches of the series, Doull said such pitches like these won’t help bowlers like Mir Hamza, for instance, and Pakistan cricket in general.
“You are picking a guy like Mir Hamza who has a terrific first-class record. You pick guys who perform well at that level but they come and bowl on this road,” Doull said on the ‘Pitch Side’ show.
“It offers nothing, there is no grass on it, there is no seam movement, there is no carry. They are going from bowling on a green pitch with a bit of assistance and movement to an absolute road. What do you expect? You can’t expect them to do the same job that they're doing at the first-class level if you're going to produce these types of surfaces.
“Pakistan have got to start producing the same wickets for Tests as they do for first-class cricket. The people above, the hierarchy, have just got to leave their noses out of it. Let the ground staff do their job properly. That would assist the bowlers and assist Pakistan cricket.”
Earlier, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Interim Selection Committee, Shahid Afridi, was also unsatisfied with the pitch for the second Test in Karachi.
"I am not satisfied with the pitch prepared for the second Test. I want more bounce in the pitch, but it is better than the pitches prepared previously for Test cricket in Pakistan,” Afridi said.
“We plan to have competitive and positive cricket and the pitches should be prepared accordingly. The matches should be exciting enough to make people come to the stadium,” he added.
The first Test between the two sides ended in a draw last week, meanwhile Pakistan are currently batting in their first innings after New Zealand posted 449 in the second and final match of the series.
Comments