The International Cricket Council has rated the Rawalpindi pitch – used for the first Test between England and Pakistan which England won – “below average”. According to the cricket’s watchdog, the pitch offered little to no assistance to bowlers.
It is pertinent to mention here that England made a record score of 506/4 on Day 1, breaking more than a 100-year-old record of scoring the most runs in any Test on Day 1. This is the second time that Rawalpindi has received one demerit point for a below average pitch.
Earlier this year, the stadium received a slap on the wrist by the ICC for being a dead wicket. The stadium has received two demerit points up till now. Accumulation of five points over the course of five years could see the stadium getting suspended from hosting international cricket for 12 months.
The Pakistan Cricket Board chief Ramiz Raja had also slammed the wicket, calling it “embarrassing”.