In a light-hearted yet poignant commentary, former England cricket captain Nasser Hussain has taken a sharp jab at the state of the pitch presented in the opening Test match between England and Pakistan in Multan. Displaying little to no support for bowlers from the very first day, the Multan pitch has seen the batsmen thrive, amassing a staggering total of 1,379 runs for the loss of just 17 wickets by both teams combined. Such conditions have sparked a debate about the quality and preservation of the longer format of the game, prompting Hussain to delve into the heart of the issue with humor and insight.
As the match progressed, the increasingly flat surface posed a significant challenge for bowlers from both sides, with bowlers having to work tirelessly under harsh conditions. England pacers Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse were among those athletes laboring on this placid pitch, struggling to make an impact. Despite their best efforts, the pitch refused to yield to spin or even crack, leaving it uniformly friendly to the batsmen and raising questions about its suitability for Test cricket.
During one of the innings, Pakistan’s Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique were in excellent form, each reaching the century mark in an impressive display of skill. Similarly, England’s batting lineup flourished, with Joe Brook and Harry Brook taking full advantage of the lifeless pitch to score 262 and 317 runs respectively, propelling England to an imposing total of 823 runs before declaring. Their efforts allowed England to establish a substantial lead of 267 runs by the end of the first innings — a lead built on the foundation of a pitch that seemed to play into the hands of every batsman that took the crease.
In response to such unprecedented batting conditions, Hussain humorously suggested a radical rule change: “If a batsman misses three balls, he should be declared out on this track,” he quipped with a chuckle, capturing the essence of the one-sided nature of the contest.
However, Hussain didn’t stop at jest and offered a more somber reflection on the current state of the pitch in his column for the Daily Mail.
. He expressed serious concerns about how such surfaces could jeopardize the future of Test cricket. “Test cricket cannot afford for this pitch to continue playing in the same way for all five days,” Hussain wrote, voicing the uneasiness shared by many in the cricketing community. This docile nature of the Multan pitch was doing no favors for the equilibrium needed between bat and ball to sustain the charm of Test cricket, he added.
While the surface was constant over two days, offering no assistance in terms of spin, swing, or reverse swing, it created conditions heavily skewed in favor of the batsmen. Hussain’s observations point to a larger issue at play: Test cricket thrives on the ebb and flow between batting and bowling, and pitches that fail to promote this contest may alter the traditional values cherished in this historic format.
As the contest drew closer to its conclusion, the question remained whether Pakistan could stave off defeat on the final day. Despite the valiant centuries scored by their batsmen, Pakistan found themselves in a precarious situation, primarily due to their errors with the bat in the second innings. Meanwhile, England, sensing a possible victory, maintained pressure and demonstrated the benefits of capitalizing on such accommodating conditions, even as the broader concerns about the nature of the pitch persist.
In light of these developments, Hussain’s humorous critique of the Multan pitch underlines a crucial argument in the conversation about Test cricket—preserving the essence of the format lies not just in player skills but significantly in the foundation provided by the pitches on which the game is played. With this debate now reignited, the challenge lies with cricketing authorities to ensure an engaging balance between bat and ball, upholding the integrity and excitement of Test matches worldwide.
