We did not want to play into Australia's hands: PCB chief Ramiz on pitch criticism

Ramiz Raja on Wednesday defended the use of a flat track for the first Test, saying they did not want to play into Australia's hands by preparing a track that would assist pace and bounce. The series-opener ended in a high scoring dull draw on Tuesday. The Rawalpindi track, where Just 14 wickets fell in five days with 1,187 runs scored by both teams, drew criticism from some former players, critics and fans alike.

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It took nearly a quarter of a century for Australia to return to Pakistan but only five days for a lifeless Rawalpindi pitch to sap much of the enthusiasm generated by the drought-breaking Test series.

"I understand fans' frustration and the result would have been good but this is a three-match series. We need to remember that there is a lot of cricket to come," Ramiz said in a video message released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

"Just for the heck of it, we don't want to prepare a fast and bouncy pitch and play into Australia's hands." He conceded that the Pindi pitch was not a good advertisement for Test cricket but backed the track. "You must understand Pakistan team had limited resources for the Test and our bowling line up was disturbed as well with Faheem and Hasan not available and Yasir Shah also unfit," he said. He said the pitch was prepared accordingly. "I am totally for having better pitches in Pakistan but I took charge in September and the season had already started. Remember one requires at least five to six months to prepare a pitch. "When the season finishes you will see that we are bringing in soil from Australia and we are experimenting here with soil experts. We will redo 50-60 pitches all over