Pakistan coach and captain Jason Gillespie and Shan Masood inspected the pitch on Sunday morning before Gillespie had a lengthy chat with PCB’s Chief Australian Curator Tony Hemming. In the first Test, the bowlers’ tracks appeared dry and cracked, made even drier by the fans and the harsh sun.
Pakistan’s move is unusual as back-to-back Tests are rarely played at the same venue. But the ICC’s stadium regulations only call for “the best possible pitch and outfield conditions”, without stipulating that the surface must be fresh or unused, and after failing to win in 11 successive home Tests, Pakistan may feel the need to try something different .
Anderson admitted he thought Pakistan’s plans would have been blocked by ICC rules, but said England were “not fussed” about the prospect of playing on the same strip again. “It’s their decision, their terms, their home game,” he said. “They can do whatever they want. Same pitches don’t determine the outcome.”
He predicted spin would play a bigger role in Pakistan’s plans, suggesting this could suit England. “This is a first for me in Test cricket,” Anderson said. “When you talk about Ben’s workload and his bowling, the spinners potentially have more of a role so it could affect our hands, we don’t know what we’re going to get.
“After the last game we saw it moving up and down (mainly down) towards the back end. Cracks were starting to form. I’m no groundsman, but I don’t think we can get the cracks to come back together. Easily, definitely in three days. “If it cracks inside and gets dry and hot again, you can expect the spinner to do more work.”
There were some signs of variable bounce leading up to the final day of the Test as England wrapped up the win, but Chris Woakes said they had given the bowlers a “burger all”. Former England captain Kevin Pietersen described the site as a “bowler’s graveyard” on X/Twitter and suggested Pakistan should reuse it for the second Test.
The second Test was originally scheduled in Karachi but was moved to Multan at late notice due to ongoing renovation work at the National Stadium. The PCB has promised to provide “extensive renovations” ahead of next year’s Champions Trophy and for the same reason, Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium could not be used for the England series.
