What makes a ‘good’ pitch?
It usually means good for batting, though that doesn’t always produce good cricket.
Sure, England’s 823-7 declared on the first-Test slab of concrete in Multan was fun for its silliness, it just wasn’t great viewing for the lack of contest between bat and ball.
The opposite of a good pitch – being very careful not to say ‘bad pitch’ – can make a more intriguing spectacle. See Pakistan’s win in the second Test. I hope you’re keeping up.
Maybe the best way to think of a good pitch is the one that makes it most likely for the best team to win. On a true surface, the better batters are less inclined to make a mistake, the superior bowlers more armed with the skills to take wickets.
With their creation for the second Test, the reused, recycled and resuscitated pitch from the first, Pakistan acknowledged they needed some help. It was, essentially, a massive compliment to England and their swashbuckling style.
By the time the series was level at 1-1, the pitch was nine days old. Between the first and last deliveries bowled on that 22-yard strip of dirt, it comes to 12 days.
In that period, Thomas Tuchel has held talks with the Football Association, been appointed England manager and apologised for being German. England have lost Ashes series in shorter amounts of time.
To put the transformation into context, data analysts Cricviz usually rate Multan as the second-flattest pitch on the planet. By day three of the second Test, the Multan surface was ranked as the most difficult anywhere in Pakistan since Test cricket returned to the country in 2019.
In the same timeframe, it was ranked in the top 10% for toughest pitches in 190 Tests played across the world.
The pitch created a huge element of chance, tantamount to, yet not quite the same, as the flick of a coin. Captains Shan Masood and Ben Stokes both acknowledged the importance of the toss, with Stokes suggesting after the match Pakistan could have looked “silly” if their plan backfired.
Stokes also admitted there is nothing unusual in employing home advantage and England often do the same – the Trent Bridge Ashes Test of 2015, Stuart Broad’s 8-15, is a famous example.
Perhaps it is a comment on the relative strength of Pakistan’s Test cricket at the moment that the conditions in Multan are being shrugged off. It can only be imagined what the reaction might have been had the same thing been done in India. As it stands, England have not complained, either publicly or privately.
On the toss, England could do with getting better, and quickly. The two at Multan made it seven losses in a row. Stokes said he’ll carry on calling tails for the decider in Rawalpindi. Maybe he should spend the extra day off practising.
But. And this is a big but. Any suggestion the second Test was only decided by the coin would be wide of the mark.
England had their chances and wasted them in familiar fashion. Not quite a greatest hits, just an EP.
The non-review when Muhammad Rizwan edged Matthew Potts in the first innings was a continuation of some dismal recent use of DRS. Rizwan had six and went on to make an important 41.
England were arguably favourites when they reached 211-2 in their first innings, then lost eight wickets for 80 runs. From that point until the end of the match, England were 224-18, which is extreme on any surface.
The final nail was Salman Agha being dropped by Jamie Smith and Joe Root in the same Brydon Carse over on the third afternoon.
Stokes himself was as angry as he has ever been on the field during his tenure as captain and later apologised to the team in the dressing room. That says something about how important those two moments were. For wicketkeeper Smith, it was the biggest error in his short and impressive Test career to date and a situation to keep an eye on.
If it sounds like a pile-on of the tourists, it’s not the intention, because there were positives too. Carse looks a real find, potentially a huge asset for an Ashes in Australia. Stokes’ return from a hamstring injury was welcome, particularly for Shoaib Bashir, who grew in stature with the all-rounder back at the helm.
More broadly, this was another Test on the subcontinent where England have been outspun, though after next week it will not be a problem they will have to consider for some time.
Since the beginning of 2021, England have had five series in Asia. Two here, two in India and one in Sri Lanka. This decade, their eight wins on this continent is more than they managed in the 1970s, 80s and 90s combined. Their next trip is not until two Tests in Bangladesh in early 2027.
And so to Rawalpindi, and a proper series decider – one where the teams are level going into the final match. England haven’t had one of those since the home series against South Africa in 2022, the first Bazball summer.
One wonders when the Rawalpindi groundsman got a call to change his previous plans for the pitch.
In the first of two Tests against Bangladesh on that ground in August, Pakistan did not play a frontline spinner. Now there might not be a need for a seamer, with Masood confirming he wants another turner.
If a fresh pitch had been prepared, it may soon be excavated by a JCB.
England should be flattered.
