Cricket

‘Shahid Afridi ki bouncy pitch hai bhai’- Fans mercilessly troll Shahid Afridi as bowlers find no assistance on day 1 of 2nd Test against NZ

Fans ridiculed Shahid Afridi for failing to prepare a bouncy track for the second Test of the series against New Zealand.

author-image
Sam Abraham
New Update
Shahid Afridi

Shahid Afridi (Source: Twitter)

Shahid Afridi, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board's interim selection committee, promised a bouncy track for the second Test between Pakistan and New Zealand in Karachi, which began on Monday (January 2). The visitors, on the other hand, made it to lunch without losing a wicket.

Advertisment

Fans ridiculed Afridi for failing to prepare a bouncy track for the second Test. The reaction came after New Zealand openers Devon Conway and Tom Latham put on a century stand in the first session of Day 1. At lunch, the visitors led 119-0, with Conway (51*) and Latham (67*) at the crease.

It's worth noting that Babar Azam and his team failed to win a home Test last year. They were defeated in the Test series against Australia and England. Their only victory came in July 2022 in Sri Lanka. Pakistan will be hoping to get back to winning ways at home in the new year.

Shahid Afridi stated in a pre-match press conference: “We want our cricket to move forward, but the pitches we have played on won’t help us do that. Such pitches are not good for bowlers. We are trying to make a bouncy pitch for the second Test.”

Advertisment

Afridi's statement came after Pakistan's pitches were criticised following a 3-0 Test series loss to England under former PCB chairman Ramiz Raja. The Rawalpindi pitch, which hosted the first Test during England's tour of Pakistan, was rated 'below average' by the Apex Cricket Council.

Previously, the venue was given demerit points for hosting the first Test between Pakistan and Australia in March. The pitches in Multan and Karachi were also criticised for not assisting Pakistan's bowlers.

"It was a very flat pitch which gave almost no assistance to any type of bowler. That was the main reason why batters scored very fast, and both sides posted huge totals. The pitch hardly deteriorated during the match," said Andy Pycroft of the Emirates Elite Panel of Match Referees.

Advertisment

Here is how Twitter reacted

Pakistan vs New Zealand 2023