PAK vs ENG | My input was there but we didn’t get the pitch we wanted, exclaims Babar Azam

The Rawalpindi Test between England and Pakistan has come under severe scrutiny due to the flat deck produced by Pakistan. The pitch was a batting paradise and both teams scored in excess of 500 in the first innings. In total, seven batters scored centuries throughout the match. England adopted an attacking mindset in the second innings as they declared on 264/7 and later wrapped up the opposition to win the fixture by 74 runs. 

Amidst this constant criticism around the pitch, Pakistan captain Babar Azam also shared his views revealing that his inputs were taken while preparing the pitch but they didn’t get the kind of surface they wanted.

“Yes my input was there in the preparation of the pitch and we made it clear what we wanted but we didn’t get that because of the weather or whatever reason. But we wanted a track with some turn for the spinners,” Babar told a post-match conference on Monday.

England applied their attacking template on the flat surface to maximum use, tallying a mammoth total in the first innings and in quick duration. Their approach was the decisive factor in England winning the match which was heading towards a draw. Moreover, Pakistan handed four debuts in the game and their inexperience also hampered the team a bit. Babar admitted that the bowlers were slightly wayward while the batters didn’t live up to the potential while chasing. 

“We were expecting they would continue to play like that against us. I think it becomes difficult for a captain when your bowlers are not hitting the right areas and runs are being scored both sides of the wicket. But full credit to them the way they batted in both innings,” he said.

 “It is never easy to comeback after the opposition scores 500 on the first day but I thought we batted well and came close to their total but in the second innings our batters didn’t live up to the responsibility."