![Turning wickets chaos in subcontinent [Source: @_22Yards, @mufaddal_vohra/X.com]](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1761136213830_Pakistan_West_Indies_Subcontinent_Pitches.jpg?type=hq)
Turning wickets chaos in subcontinent [Source: @_22Yards, @mufaddal_vohra/X.com]
There’s something brewing in the subcontinent - literally, under the surface. From Pakistan’s dustbowls in Rawalpindi to Bangladesh’s black-soil pitches in Mirpur, turning tracks have once again become the talk of the cricket world.
While home advantage has always been part of the game, the recent trend raises a bigger question: are subcontinental teams truly playing smart cricket, or are they limiting their own growth by producing conditions too extreme for balanced contests?
Pakistan ended their winless drought at home with a spin formula
Let’s start with Pakistan. Once famous for its lively, reverse-swing-friendly pitches and fierce fast bowlers, the country has taken a surprising U-turn.
After being criticised for dull draws on flat tracks in 2022, Pakistan seems to have gone to the other extreme by producing surfaces that start turning square before lunch on day two.
The idea is clear, which is to exploit home advantage, unleash spinners early, and outsmart visiting teams unfamiliar with these conditions.
It worked to some extent. Pakistan ended their winless drought at home in 2024 as spinners Noman Ali and Sajid Khan dominated from both ends. Even in the South Africa Test series in 2025, spinners were at the forefront.
But here’s the flip side. When batters and fast bowlers play on such pitches, their skills don’t evolve to compete abroad.
The problem with spinning tracks isn’t that they make matches exciting, but that they often shorten contests to three days and hide flaws in technique.
A spinner taking six wickets at home might struggle in England, and a batter averaging 60 in Lahore might look clueless in Perth.
Bangladesh introduced a never-before-seen black soil pitch
Meanwhile, Bangladesh seems to be following a similar route. In the ongoing ODI series against the West Indies, the black-soil surfaces in Mirpur have turned sharply and kept low, making stroke play nearly impossible. In the 2nd ODI, for instance, the Windies had spinners bowl the entire 50 overs.
The matches have been low-scoring thrillers, yes, but not necessarily because of quality cricket; more often, it’s been a battle of survival. The bowlers have enjoyed it, but the batters, even local ones, look visibly uncomfortable.
Of course, home advantage is part of cricket’s beauty. Every region has its own flavour, such as England’s swing, Australia’s bounce, South Africa’s pace-friendly tracks, and Asia’s spin.
But when the balance tips too far, it doesn’t help anyone. Visiting teams don’t get a fair contest, and local players don’t develop the all-round skills they need for global success.
Subcontinent nations are shunting their growth
India, for example, learnt this lesson the hard way in the 1990s. Over-reliance on spinning tracks produced a generation of batters and bowlers who dominated at home but faltered overseas.
It took years of adjustment and pitches that offered something for everyone to make Indian cricket as complete as it is today.
Pakistan and Bangladesh might want to take note. Manufacturing rank turners can spell short-term glory and add to the ICC points tally, but in the long term, it can lead to stagnation.
Cricket thrives on adaptability, and sides which test themselves on better surfaces tend to be more durable.
So yes, turning wickets can win games, but they can turn back also. True victory is to find that middle ground, where skill, rather than soil, determines the outcome.
