Drop-in pitches to be used in Karachi and Lahore to duplicate Australian conditions

Pakistan has not enjoyed much success in the SENA countries. Facing testing times, especially in Australia and South Africa, Pakistan has failed to win a Test series there in the 21st century.

Things have changed since Ramiz Raza took over the position of PCB chairman. In his tenure, the men-in-green reached the semi-finals of T20 World Cup 2021. However, enjoying a good run in SENA countries is still a dream for the current set of players.

In a bid to improve their poor record in these conditions, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Ramiz Raja has ordered two drop-in pitches of Australia. The pitches are said to be installed in Karachi and Lahore, with the sole aim of preparing the players when they play in alien conditions.

"Pitches are one of the more significant aspects in developing a cricketer." Raja was quoted as saying to ESPNcricinfo.

Further in the interview, Raja emphasised that this aspect was ignored in the past and was one of the reasons for Pakistan's poor performance in SENA nations.

"This wasn’t given enough importance in the past, but for me as a cricketer and now a PCB chairman, it's painful to see that it wasn’t given its due. Neither was it devised properly. It’s really an important element, and when I say I want to reset the GPS of Pakistan cricket it’s basically fixing the core of our cricket. And until pitches are not fixed, we aren’t going anywhere as it’s the heartbeat of cricket," the PCB chairman added.

The decision has been made considering that the next World Cup is scheduled to take place in Australia. PCB has signed an MoU with investment company Arif Habib Group and will bear the expense of PKR 37 crore.