PAK vs ENG: ICC rates Rawalpindi pitch as 'below average'

Pakistan have already lost the Test series to England, however; the home team aren't the only one who is getting heavily mocked for its performances in the series. The Pakistan Cricket Board is also getting condemned for the playing conditions offered in both matches. 

Rawalpindi, where the first match was played, was one of the flattish pitches used in Test cricket in recent times. Multan, meanwhile, had some spin on offer for the tweakers.

PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja also called the pitch at the Pindi Cricket Stadium as embarrassing. ICC's Elite Match Referee Andy Pycroft tagged it as "below average" as per the ICC guidelines.

“It was a very flat pitch which gave almost no assistance to any type of bowler. That was the main reason why batters scored very fast and both sides posted huge totals. The pitch hardly deteriorated during the course of the match. Since there was very little in it for the bowlers, I found the pitch to be 'below average' as per the ICC guidelines," Pycroft said.

More than 1700 runs were scored during the five days of the first Test match between Pakistan and England, where the visitors scored their quota of runs at nearly 7 RPO.

As per the ICC, the Rawalpindi venue has received two demerits points for the recently concluded Test. Earlier in the year, the same stadium was slammed with the same number of demerits points when Australia toured Pakistan.

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