• Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique, were on the verge of scoring century
• Raja praised England for making the most of the circumstances despite the flat surface

After England scored runs on a lifeless surface in Rawalpindi, Pakistan’s top cricket administrator claimed Friday that the country’s pitches belonged in “the dark ages.”

In the end, the visitors were all out for 657, including a record 506 on the opening day of play on Thursday, thanks to four batsmen who scored hundreds off the poor Pakistani bowling.

In response, Pakistan’s openers, Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique, were on the verge of scoring century of their own towards the conclusion of play on Friday.

Former national captain and current chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board Ramiz Raja expressed his “not happy at all” at the pitch’s condition, which he acknowledged was “not a great advert” for Test cricket.

He told reporters, “It’s embarrassing for us, especially if you have a cricketer as chairman. We live in the dark ages of pitches in Pakistan.”

On the same field, Pakistan and Australia played to a scoreless draw in March of this year, scoring 1,187 runs for the loss of just 14 wickets.

Match referee for the International Cricket Council Ranjan Madugalle rated Rawalpindi as “below average” and gave it a demerit point.

If a venue accrues five demerit points over the course of five years, it is suspended for one year.

Since security concerns prompted matches to take place on neutral grounds abroad, Pakistan has played very little Test cricket at home for more than ten years.

Raja hired Australian expert Damien Hough to offer a solution after the criticism earlier this year. Hough recommended movable drop-in pitches.

“I think our way out is for drop-in pitches,” Raja said.

“If you want to nail England, for example, we’ve got to prepare a drop-in pitch that turns from ball number one.

“It is better than having this hodge-podge where you get a half-baked pitch which is neither quick nor spin.”

Raja still praised England for making the most of the circumstances despite the flat surface.

He remarked, “I’ve never seen batting like England’s on day one”

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