Mahmood: Rawalpindi pitch' did n't play like we thought it should '

Pakistan launched an all-seam attack before the Test to exploit a surface they hoped would have bounce and pace, but that has n't been the case.

Azhar Mahmood, Pakistan's associate coach, acknowledged that the Rawalpindi public's behavior surprised the team. Mahmood claimed that Pakistan believed they had prepared a pitch for zipper ball, but the next day's playout provided small proof of that.

Bangladesh's early success was largely due to the slow track and numerous wickets that kept Pakistan's chances of securing a significant lead reasonable. An undefeated 98-run sixth-wicket stand for the visitors has most likely paid for that goal.

Mahmood argued that Pakistan's opinion of the strip's performance was a significant factor in choosing an all-pace mix.

There was grass on the pitch, according to Mahmood, and the reason we did n't play a spinner was because it would benefit the seamers. " We were hoping for that. However, it might have made a difference if the pitch had been sunned for three days before the first day of the game. The wicket dried out, we did n't think it would dry out so quickly, and that made it play differently".

Figuring out how to create this Lahore area offer something to the strong bowlers has become something of a small obsession in Pakistan cricket. Until recently, it was considered the most seam-friendly surface in Pakistan, playing host to a wonderful Check against South Africa that saw between 200 and 300 goes scored in each of the four pitches as 40 innings fell. Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali took nine of the 10 batsmen in the third pitches on a pitch that maintained its speed until deep into the second time.

But ever since previous PCB president Ramiz Raza admitted Pakistan had neutered the innings for the first Check against Australia in 2022 to draw the sting out of the guests ' rate attack, it has never been quite the same. Only 14 wickets fell in that entire Test, and a similarly bland surface saw England pile up over 500 runs on a truncated first day.

Pakistan brought in Australian curator Tony Hemmings ahead of this season to work on the pitches. At a glance, this wicket had plenty of grass on it before the start of this Test, leading Pakistan to believe it would provide more pace and bounce. However, this Test followed a similar pattern to those two, with only 15 wickets in three days of play for Bangladesh against high pace.

" We ca n't do anything about the fact it]the pitch ] did n't behave that way We did n't make a mistake reading the pitch, it just did n't play like we thought it should".

Azhar Mahmood

" The combination we made required a pitch with pace and bounce, and for that wicket to play like we expected", Mahmood said. " But that did n't happen. When the wicket has pace and bounce or sharp spin, there's a greater chance of the batters making mistakes. When the pitch is slow, the batters have extra time.

" If you look at our team selection, you can see we did n't want a flat wicket. We wanted a good one that supports everyone, the fast bowlers and spinners and to produce a pitch that makes people want to tune in. We will try to make sure the second one has seam and bounce and a bit of pace in it.

Tony is with us and has a certain expectation for what he wants to do in terms of pitch production. We'll get him what he needs, but he had a very short time to come in and prepare this pitch. Moving forward, we'll ask him to prepare the sort of surface that suits our planning. He's got great experience, has worked around the world and knows what he's doing".

However, Mahmood did acknowledge the surface was n't the only factor for Bangladesh finishing the day at 316 for 5, 132 runs away from levelling Pakistan's first innings effort. The sixth-wicket partnership between Litton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim, each undefeated on half-centuries, picked up a scoring rate that had been sluggish for three-quarters of the day. Bangladesh ran out of 87 runs in its final 14 overs, 12 of them with the new ball, with the batters much more eager to punish the quick deliveries on a surface where the ball never threatened to reach chest height. Litton took Naseem down in a memorable over, smashing him for three fours and a six in the dying embers of the day to underscore Bangladesh's late dominance.

Mahmood acknowledged Pakistan's bowling quality had slipped by that point. " We were not disciplined enough in the last 12 overs", he said. " If you assess the overall day, we were great in 80 overs. With the second new ball we strayed from the plan. Then they attacked. We allowed them to play that type of cricket. But you can also score runs easier off the new ball, and they utilised that to great effect".

In the end, though, mild bemusement at the pitch bamboozling expectations was the constant strain through Pakistan's assistant coach's mind.

" Anyone who looked at the wicket would have thought it would be a seaming track. We ca n't do anything about the fact it did n't behave that way We did n't make a mistake reading the pitch, it just did n't play like we thought it should".