The quality of pitches in domestic cricket

[MenInG]

Seems Ramiz is not happy with this.

==

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja is not happy with the standard of pitches being used in the National T20 Championship and also the composition of the six teams in the competition. (More Cricket News)

The PCB in an unusual move has allowed a two-day break in the championship so that the team coaches and selectors can sit down and use an open transfer window to exchange players.

A source in the board said that the new chairman had expressed his displeasure over the standard of pitches seen so far in the national event at the Rawalpindi Stadium.

“Ramiz has now given instructions that when the second leg of the competition is held at the Gaddafi stadium in Lahore the pitches should be more suited for the batsmen and big totals should be possible for the teams,” the source said.

For the PCB, the ongoing National T20 Championship has gained a lot of significance before the T20 World Cup after the New Zealand team abandoned its series in Pakistan and returned home while the English board also pulled out of a short series in October before the mega event in the UAE.

https://www.outlookindia.com/websit...ches-used-in-national-t20-championship/395945

 

[MenInG]

Also some murmurings for players also

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[waheed_sofi]

Pitches are perfectly fine. There is nothing wrong with Pitches.
It is the poor quality of Batters otherwise we could have easily seen scores of 200.
Previously in last two seasons, Pitches used to be overly Flat, & Batsman used to scores lot of runs and there was no metric which checked the quality Batsmen as everyone was runs for fun.
Recently, Pitches have been little competitive and Good Batsmen are still scoring runs like Babar, Rizwan, Haider, Bangalzai, etc
This year, there are some scores in the range of 170 - 190 which could have easily been the 200 had Batters apllied themselves more.

 

[Asif321]

Ramiz wants total flat pitches so our Devillers , Butler , Gayle can get some runs before WC

 

[Kaddy]

World cup is in UAE, they Should try to prepare the similar pitches.

 

[mazkhan]

That's why you need pitches grown in greenhouses and then dropped in , pitches that produce good pace and bounce.

Only way you will produce batsmen with great back foot play and ability to play shots and also produce fast bowlers who are tall , these midget fast bowlers won't cut it on those pitches that's why we saw naseem shah and musa khan taken to cleaners in Australia .

Only in pakistan do 5ft half players get promoted as fast bowlers in sena countries coaches would stop such players even taking up becoming a fast bowler due to being compromised in height department .

 

[Barragan]

The UAE pitches are going to be slow, tired and turning.

So, definitely don't need batting pitches atm.

 

[shamaan]

The pitches should have been slow and spinning pitches.the pitches we have had so far have had very good bounce and no spin

 

[Nasty Naz]

They seem like pretty similar conditions to UAE...

I mean the goal is to be prepared for that, right? Instead of just putting up mammoth totals on flat pitches.

 

[Last Monetarist]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">PCB believes in being Pitch Perfect! Starting with two practice pitches at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, the regular soil was replaced by a clay saturated soil to make it stand tall with the international standards under the vision of PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja. <a href="https://t.co/h6W3LJOxw1">pic.twitter.com/h6W3LJOxw1</a></p>— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheRealPCB/status/1471117850802860039?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Last Monetarist]

You can blame Ramiz for his antics and lack of professionalism, but he's spot on about the problems with pitches in domestic cricket. Let's hope that he pushes for changes in the clay content of pitches across the country, and not just in Lahore and Karachi.

 

[shamaan]

You can blame Ramiz for his antics and lack of professionalism, but he's spot on about the problems with pitches in domestic cricket. Let's hope that he pushes for changes in the clay content of pitches across the country, and not just in Lahore and Karachi.

The pitches used last year for Qaid E Azam were alot better.

 

[Markhor]

You can blame Ramiz for his antics and lack of professionalism, but he's spot on about the problems with pitches in domestic cricket. Let's hope that he pushes for changes in the clay content of pitches across the country, and not just in Lahore and Karachi.

Ramiz partly bears the blame for the lamentable state of domestic pitches. When CEO in 2004 he ordered the preparation of seam friendly pitches which destroyed FC cricket for a generation.

Anyway Ramiz is a big believer like Imran in the Australian model. Fine. But when Australia enjoyed their golden era, one of the key contributors was each venue provided something different.

Melbourne and Adelaide were flat. Brisbane and Perth offered pace and bounce. Sydney spun. Hobart offered help for conventional seamers. Basically by the time an Australian cricketer debuted, he was exposed to every conceivable scenario.

It was nothing to do with drop-ins which are primarily to allow multi-use venues.

 

[freezerburn]

The pitches used last year for Qaid E Azam were alot better.

I agree, the use of the short ball was more prevalent by pak bowlers which was refreshing to see

 

[MenInG]

Delivering on the promise of developing world class pitches, a preliminary curatorship course was held to impart theoretical knowledge and practical demonstration to the participants at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore.

 

[mazkhan]

I agree, the use of the short ball was more prevalent by pak bowlers which was refreshing to see

The pitches in punjab this year were shocking and extremely dead for the bowlers.

Likes of bangalzai and imam ul haq were scoring double hundreds .

And most of the games were run fest draws

 

[moghul]

The pitches in punjab this year were shocking and extremely dead for the bowlers.

Likes of bangalzai and imam ul haq were scoring double hundreds .

And most of the games were run fest draws

No wonder after score double century against central punjab , Bangaizai could not score a run in Asia under 19 cup.

 

[Bewal Express]

The Pitches in PK need more bounce. To produce good batsman and bowlers, you need wickets that are hard and allow good players to flourish. What you don't want is underprepared wickets like in the past where the likes of Asad Ali,Sadaf and Tabish ran amok and left batsman short of confidence and time in the middle

 

[Savak]

The Pitches in PK need more bounce. To produce good batsman and bowlers, you need wickets that are hard and allow good players to flourish. What you don't want is underprepared wickets like in the past where the likes of Asad Ali,Sadaf and Tabish ran amok and left batsman short of confidence and time in the middle

Indian Wickets in the last 10-15 years have been very good in this regard. Wicket has good pace, bounce where fast bowlers are encouraged to bend their backs, batsmen enjoy the ball coming on to the bat enabling the cut and pull shot, the ball reverse swings as it gets older, spinners enjoy fast spin, pace and bounce. Good Cricket all around. These are the wickets Pakistan needs all over in its domestic cricket

 

[Bewal Express]

Indian Wickets in the last 10-15 years have been very good in this regard. Wicket has good pace, bounce where fast bowlers are encouraged to bend their backs, batsmen enjoy the ball coming on to the bat enabling the cut and pull shot, the ball reverse swings as it gets older, spinners enjoy fast spin, pace and bounce. Good Cricket all around. These are the wickets Pakistan needs all over in its domestic cricket

There have been rumblings in India that the wickets are too much in favour of the medium pacers. I remember Bhajji saying something about 80mph bowlers made to look like Malcolm Marshall

 

[Markhor]

Delivering on the promise of developing world class pitches, a preliminary curatorship course was held to impart theoretical knowledge and practical demonstration to the participants at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore.

Is this Pindi pitch world class ?

They could probably bat on it for another week. All that dramay over improving pitches and they produce this soul destroying crap ?

 

[shah_1]

Is this Pindi pitch world class ?

They could probably bat on it for another week. All that dramay over improving pitches and they produce this soul destroying crap ?

It is a pitch made for a draw. Leave bit of grass, the pitch has something for fast bowlers. Hasan Ali took 10fer, Nortje 5fer, Shaheen two 4fer and Naseem 4fer

 

[iRfaN_LA]

What a horrendous dead pitch. Poor advertisement for test cricket.

 

[Kianig89]

Every team plays to its strength Pakistan strength over the years have been flat wickets with reverse swing and spin coming into equation in the final stages good on team management for keeping the tradition

 

[MenInG]

Preparation of GSL & NSK for another big season has started!

Separately, & as part of PCB's efforts to create best possible facilities for #PakistanFutureStars, upgradation of pitches in 1st phase at select grounds that entertain max grassroots cricket is near completion.

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[MenInG]

As part of PCB's efforts to create best possible playing facilities across the country, the relaying and upgradation of pitches is underway on more than 40 grounds ahead of the upcoming domestic cricket season.


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[MenInG]

Lahore, 14 July 2022: Damien Hough, head curator of Adelaide Oval, will in Lahore on 15 July on a two-week tour during which he will also visit Karachi, Multan and Rawalpindi.

Hough is one of the world’s best curators with a 26-year experience. During his visit, Hough will also inspect the outfields and pitch squares of the four Test centres.

Prior to his departure on 28 July, Hough will give lectures to the curators and the coaches of cricket and city cricket associations on pitch preparations and the basic methodology of pitch making for all three formats of the game.

He will also provide insights to local curators and coaches on introducing a day/night pitch for Test cricket, which is the most pinnacle format of the game.

 

[KhanNn]

Lahore, 14 July 2022: Damien Hough, head curator of Adelaide Oval, will in Lahore on 15 July on a two-week tour during which he will also visit Karachi, Multan and Rawalpindi.

Hough is one of the world’s best curators with a 26-year experience. During his visit, Hough will also inspect the outfields and pitch squares of the four Test centres.

Prior to his departure on 28 July, Hough will give lectures to the curators and the coaches of cricket and city cricket associations on pitch preparations and the basic methodology of pitch making for all three formats of the game.

He will also provide insights to local curators and coaches on introducing a day/night pitch for Test cricket, which is the most pinnacle format of the game.

Will they understand what he's saying if the presentation is in English? I highly doubt it....

 

[Fenrir]

Will they understand what he's saying if the presentation is in English? I highly doubt it....

Some one will translate his presentation to Urdu so it is not an issue.

 

[MenInG]

Australian pitches expert Damien Hough visited Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore to inspect the outfield and pitch squares.

 

[MenInG]

Australian pitch expert lecturing ground staff

 

[MenInG]

Adelaide Oval’s chief curator Damien Hough inspected the National Stadium Karachi outfield and square today (Friday) and interacted with the curator and ground staff as part of his tour of Pakistan. Karachi is the third venue that Hough has visited after his visits to Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore and the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi.

Hough would be spending the weekend in Karachi. Besides the NSK square and outfield, Hough will also take a close look and provide his recommendation and feedback on the two Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre grounds that are located inside the NSK perimeter.

Like Lahore and Rawalpindi, Hough will also deliver lectures on pitch and outfield preparation for all formats of the game. In addition to the NSK and the high performance centre ground staff and curator, the lectures will be attended by Sindh Cricket Association coaches as part of Pakistan Cricket Board’s plan of improving the knowledge and skillset of its coaches at different tiers across the country.

Hough meanwhile has praised the passion and commitment of the ground staff in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi and has stressed on the importance of his visit which for him is all about collaboration, learning and sharing of ideas.

“This is the third Test centre that I am visiting and so far, I have really been impressed by the passion and commitment of ground staff in Pakistan and the team in Karachi is no different. For me, the trip is a lot about exchanging ideas, collaboration and figuring out how things are done in Pakistan and how they compare to Adelaide and Australia.

“A lot of credit goes to the PCB for initiating this exchange, I am very impressed by their commitment to improving the pitches and grounds. This pitch relaying project in Lahore and Karachi is a testament of the willingness that the PCB has for improvement and I am sure it will go a long way in developing quality pitches.”

Hough who has been associated with the Adelaide Oval for more than 10 years and is widely regarded as one of the world’s best curators with 26 years’ experience in the field. According to Hough, a good cricket pitch is one that offers a good balance between bat and ball. For long format games, 300 runs and 10 wickets is an indicator of sorts of a good cricket pitch.

“A good wicket is one that provides opportunities to both batters and bowlers. Back home we have an indicator of sorts of 300 runs and 10 wickets in a day for a long format pitch.”

Hough also expressed his excitement on the PCB’s experiment of using Australian soil for pitches in Karachi and Lahore. The soil is set to reach Karachi in a week’s time. A pitch each at the NSK, Naya Nazimabad Cricket Ground (Karachi), GSL and National High Performance Centre (Lahore) will be prepared with the imported Australian soil.

“I believe it is an exciting initiative and an experiment that is worth having a close look at. The pitches prepared with the Australian soil will provide a great opportunity to Pakistan players before a tour of Australia in terms of their preparations for the pitches there. Once again, the PCB deserves credit for this initiative, I feel that there will be a lot to learn and observe once the pitches are laid and are ready for cricket.”

 

[MenInG]

Damien Hough speaking to the press:

“Compared to Australia, technology is not as advanced here. Whereas, cricket grounds here offer good facilities for the sport"

“I did not come here to criticize anyone but to teach the technique of making grassy pitches. I am well aware of the fact that every nation has its own procedure for preparing the pitch but I am confident that together we can make better pitches in Pakistan that should be beneficial for both batters and bowlers"

“The experience of coming to Pakistan has been excellent so far. The people here are very passionate about cricket"

 

[MenInG]

Adelaide Oval’s chief curator Damien Hough has completed his 12-day visit of Pakistan during which he visited four Test centres and worked with the ground staff, curators and coaches on pitch and outfield preparation methods.

Hough, started his visit at the headquarters of Pakistan cricket, Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. From Lahore, Hough travelled to Pindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi before coming down to spend the last weekend in Karachi. Besides a thorough inspection of the city’s Test venue – National Stadium, Hough also made a visit to the Naya Nazimabad Ground.

Hough made a two-day visit to Multan Cricket Stadium early this week and later returned to Lahore for his final assignment. He will depart to Adelaide from Lahore tomorrow.

Besides inspecting the pitches and the outfield in the four cities, Hough also delivered lectures on pitch making and outfield inspection which were attended by local coaches, ground staff and curators.

Hough meanwhile, has termed his trip very useful and enjoyable one as besides making the pitch and ground related visits, delivering lectures and presentations, he also got an opportunity to understand and learn about pitch making in Pakistan. The visit according to him was also about exchanging ideas and collaboration.

Hough also lauded the Pakistan Cricket Board’s efforts and interest in experimenting with imported Australian soil and called it a world class approach.

Damien Hough: “There were two parts to the plan of coming over to Pakistan, like it was about providing information and understanding on how we prepare pitches at the Adelaide Oval, the grass we leave on to assist with the pace, bounce and carry which was conveyed through presentations to the coaches and participants of the lectures at the four cities we visited. We also went on the ground and rolled out a pitch to explain how we do things.

“The other part was about a visit to the different venues and to meet the grounds team and the staff and understand how they do things, the outfields, the machinery and to go home and put together a report about what I have seen. There have been a lot of positives to take away and it has been a really enjoyable tour.

“The engagement from the curators and the coaches was extremely positive. The challenges in Pakistan are different with regards to the environment and busy schedules for the curators but the good thing was that everyone was willing to learn and progress, it was about exchanging ideas and having a collaborative approach as a lot of things are done similarly both here and in Australia.

“There are a lot of things that are being done already and the curators and the ground staff are ready to learn and up skill. The commitment of the staff is exactly the same as Australia which is commendable. The machinery here is good, it is all about how to use it and about providing some advice on how it can be best used to get the results. Every year or so the equipment gets advanced. It is the same challenge for us back home as we are always trying to update and see what new machinery we need to add because it makes our job easier and of course helps improve the surface.

“The experiment with the soil is outstanding, to be in a position to put it all out in the middle of your grounds is world class thinking. The work that has already been done really excites me, it shows to me that the board is constantly looking for improvement and they deserve a round of applause. Using different clay is very exciting, these are kind of things that are very important for cricket around the world. Even if it doesn’t work there will be a lot of positives to take from this, it shouldn’t be considered a failure.

“In Australia we use different clay in all cricket academies and we try and experiment all the time. It started in Brisbane where clay from all over Australia was brought and the same we have now tried in Adelaide. To provide your team an opportunity of preparing for bouncier pitches and giving them great preparation is a great approach especially when the team fronts up to the challenge of bouncer pitches in places like Australia and South Africa.

“I will be providing the PCB a feasibility report on the idea of a drop-in pitch and it would be up to them on how they want to proceed on the matter.”

 

[Fenrir]

This a good initiative.PCB should have a combination of pitches.Pitches should offer bounce and pace,help spinners on day four and five.No one wants dead pitches.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Don't think if the curators that we have are real curators. Sports science and stuff is basically nonexistant in Pak and the lack of opportunities dont make it a viable occupation either.

 

[Markhor]

We'll see whether all this talk amounts to any tangible progress in the ENG and NZ home series.

 

[Fenrir]

Don't think if the curators that we have are real curators. Sports science and stuff is basically nonexistant in Pak and the lack of opportunities dont make it a viable occupation either.

You right but I think sometimes it is not the fault of the curators,PCB forces them to produce flat tracks due to fear of losing.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

You right but I think sometimes it is not the fault of the curators,PCB forces them to produce flat tracks due to fear of losing.

Curatorship isn't even a proper job in Pakistan Cricket I believe. They just take care of the pitches like they normally would. For making a green top they just let the grass grow and don't cut it. For dry wickets, they don't water in enough.

In Australia they have a proper center where curators are trained etc.