PCB puts drop-in pitches idea on hold

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has put the plans for drop-in pitches from Australia on hold citing the lack of expert advise on the topic. According to a report by ESPNCricinfo, PCB had weighed in the option for getting the soil from Australia and experiment with it for pitches at various venues.

With the 2022 T20 World Cup on the horizon, PCB mulled the idea of a couple of readymade pitches for the team to get used to the pitches Down Under. However, with the process expected to take close to 10 months, the company contracted for the purpose has been asked to hold the purchase.

Drop-in pitches have become common in Australia and New Zealand where stadiums are used for hosting various sports and readymade pitches are used whenever cricket matches are played. The idea had also garnered steam after the first Test at Rawalpindi was rated as "below average" by the match referee and received a demerit point from the International Cricket Council(ICC).

The incorporation of drop-in pitches is also part of PCB's new chief Ramiz Raja's plan to make the pitches in Pakistan more competitive. The criticism surrounding the pitches at Rawalpindi and Karachi have forced the PCB to hire Australian curator Toby Lumsden as a consultant for the third Test at Lahore in order to make it more conducive for spinners. However, 20 off the 23 wickets across four days in the match have gone to the pacers.