The deciding match of the Test series between Pakistan and England will start on Thursday in Rawalpindi (Photo: AFP).
According to the cricket website ESPNcricinfo, Pakistan has stepped up efforts to prepare a suitable pitch for spin bowling in the deciding match of the Test series against England.
Industrial size fans, outdoor heaters and wind breakers are being used to dry the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium pitch.
On Sunday, the ground staff installed three large heaters and an industrial-sized fan on both sides of the pitch to dry the pitch. At the same time, wind breakers were installed on the pitch to prevent hot air from escaping from the surface of the pitch.
Earlier on Monday, Pakistan players and staff also inspected the surface of the pitch during a training session, but by then only fans had been installed on the pitch and it was being dried in the sun.
The final match of the three-Test series between Pakistan and England is scheduled for Thursday in Rawalpindi.
The Pakistan team was defeated by an innings on the ‘lifeless’ pitch used during the first Test in Multan.
After the disappointing defeat for the second Test, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) took a major step and made the pitch used in the first match even drier to make it effective for the spin bowlers.
However, after winning the toss in the second match, Pakistan’s strategy seemed to work as spinners Nauman Ali and Sajid Khan took all 20 wickets.
The Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium pitch is generally considered to be one of the flattest pitches for Test cricket where spinners get minimal breaks and the pitch is more beneficial to seam bowlers.
Bangladesh defeated Pakistan 2-0 in the series in Rawalpindi last month. Bangladesh off-spinner Mehdi Hasan Miraz took 10 wickets in that series, but since 2019 since Test matches started on this pitch, spinners have given away around 50 runs per wicket here.
In a Test against South Africa in January 2021, Sam bowlers performed better against spin, taking one wicket for every 34 runs. Ten wickets fell in South Africa’s fourth innings, eight of which fell on the last day.
Scores between 200 and 300 were made in all four innings, after which the PCB declared it the best standard for a Test wicket.
Now the situation looks very different compared to the past and Pakistan are trying to prepare a dry pitch for their new spin bowling duo.
Recently, Pakistan captain Shan Masood made it clear after his 152-run victory in the second Multan Test that he would like to see an exceptional pitch in Rawalpindi for the decider.
On the other hand, England head coach Brendon McCullum has predicted that the pitch in Rawalpindi will be completely opposite to ‘Green Seamers’.
It should be noted that the third and deciding match of the Test series between Pakistan and England is to be played on October 24 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. So far both England and Pakistan have won one match each.
