KARACHI: The Benaud-Qadir Trophy’s inaugural Test between Pakistan and Australia ended in a tie. The dreary condition of the pitch used for the match in Rawalpindi has drawn a lot of criticism.

Batters dominated the match for the entire five days, scoring over 1100 runs and taking only 14 wickets. The conditions didn’t appear to impress the players either.

The surface has been dubbed a “bad advertisement for Test cricket” by experts all around the world. Shahid Afridi, Pakistan’s former all-rounder, is the latest to criticise the management for staging such a match.

“They didn’t think about Australia, the bottom line was ‘we shouldn’t lose. But in the next two Tests in Lahore and Karachi, they have to make good pitches. You have to take advantage of your home series, or else when you go to Australia, you’re going to struggle,” Shahid Afridi said.

Throughout the match, the former skipper did not hold back in criticising Babar Azam and club management for their defensive strategy. He also stated that a four-bowler combination is risky for the bowlers, as they may develop injuries if they are overworked owing to a lack of bowling choices.

“Our bowling strength is so good. Our fast bowlers can bowl out this Australian side. And it isn’t as if our batters cannot play the Aussie bowlers. Cricket has grown over the past many years, it is time we grow as well. If you want people to count you among the likes of South Africa, England, Australia, New Zealand, you need to stay positive,” said Afridi.

“I’ve been playing for long and I know it is there since the start (the combination of seven batters and four bowlers). Six genuine batsmen are enough in any team, then you have an all-rounder and bowlers. But we always play with this combination (7-4). This isn’t going to work. Our batsmen are in form. If you are making pitches like these, you will have to play bowlers or else these fast bowlers will be at the risk of injuries,” he further added.

For the latest Sports News Follow BOL News on Google News. Read more on Latest Sports News on oldsite.bolnews.com