The Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohammad Hafeez opens on the pitch conditions at Canberra ahead of Pakistan’s first test against Australia.
Mohammed Hafeez critics on Pitch conditions
Mohammad Hafeez has criticized the pitch and conditions on Pakistan’s warm-up match at Canberra during their tour of Australia. The former allrounder states that Pitch was unlike anything that resembles the pitch they will be playing in the upcoming test matches which start on December 14.
The warmup match between Pakistan and Prime Minister Xl on Pakistan’s tour of Australia 2023 was played on December 06.
Pakistan’s Test captain Shan Masood Struck a double-hundred against Prime Minister Xl where the posted 391 runs. But the hosts piled up 367 runs on the slow surface where the Pakistan bowling unit struggled a lot.
The match was stopped after 55 kph winds blew the covers off the field that had been used to protect the ground from soaking wet due to rain. On Saturday morning, after reviewing the field, the officials announced that the game ended in a draw.
On this occasion, Pakistan men’s team’s chief selector Mohammad Hafeez expressed his disappointment at the pitch conditions and showed his disbelief in the arrangements for their tour.
He referred to it as the slowest pitch to be played in Australia. “That was the slowest pitch a visiting team could ever play on in Australia,” he said. “As a team, we are really happy with our preparations because we ticked most of the boxes.
“Everyone knew [the pitch wasn’t what we wanted], so there was no point of saying it again and again and raising the issue with Cricket Australia. The disappointment was really high because we weren’t expecting these kinds of arrangements.”
“Maybe it’s tactical but we’re ready for it. We’re not using it as an excuse, we’re absolutely ready for the challenges coming up.” He spoke about the newly appointed Test captain Shan Masood who scored a double century in the warm-up games.
“For me, seeing Shan become captain is no surprise,” Hafeez said. “He was always ready for this role, and when you get this sort of opportunity, it shines. He’s a superb player, and as a leader, he’s got a great rapport with the players and a great relationship with the whole team.”
“His experience as a captain and what he’s learned over the years – especially the couple of years he’s played county cricket – have all seen his management skills come to the fore even more. What’s important is this is a confident unit that’s here and Shan is playing his role very well.”
Hafeez is very confident on the Pakistan team and he is sure of winning the test series in Australia.
“This Test team is very settled. They’ve all done a great job for Pakistan cricket. Everyone is excited to take the challenge. Performing in Australia would be great for them. We are here to beat Australia, not just to compete.
“As a team, we believe we have great talent within the team who can win in Australia. The guys are really hungry to perform in Australia. They wanted to take that excitement and challenge in the right spirit. The message the team conveyed is they want to beat Australia this time,” he concluded.
With 18000 tickets sold at Perth Stadium, the first Test match will kickstart at 02:50 GMT on December 14 at Perth Stadium.
