PAK v NZ: ‘Does he want to play on roads’: Simon Doull takes a dig at Babar Azam while slamming Karachi pitch

[Brexiter]

Former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull, who is currently doing commentary in the ongoing Test series between New Zealand and Pakistan, has slammed the pitches used at National Stadium in Karachi.

Notably, Pakistan’s record in the longest format has recently deteriorated as they have not won a single match at home in the last two Test series, where flat tracks were offered in most games. No wonder the fans and experts have shown their disappointment with the way pitches have been playing, where bowlers have received little to no help.

It has also damaged the Pakistan team’s track record as they lost back-to-back series in the World Test Championship (WTC) calendar from Australia and England to get out of the race to qualify for the WTC final. Even in the ongoing series, Pakistan are struggling against Tim Southee’s New Zealand.

Following the draw in the first Karachi Test, the second game also looks to be going along the same lines, as the pitch seems to be behaving like a road on Day 4. Expectedly so, Doull called out the Karachi pitch and asked live on air if such tracks were demanded by captain Babar Azam himself, who was looking to improve his numbers in the Test format.

“Where does that directive come from? Does that come from Babar, who wants to bat on a road and improve his own stats? Does it come from above him?,” Doull said.

"Where do these directives come from? Do they come from Babar Azam? Does he want to play on these roads to improve his own stats," Simon Doull lashes out on the nature of pitches in Pakistan. #PAKvNZ pic.twitter.com/EhvSxeQaor

— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) January 4, 2023

The 53-year-old suggested that the ground staff should be given the freedom to do their job, and people in the higher ranks should stay away. Doull reckoned that one could not expect bowlers to help their side on tracks like these which have nothing to offer for bowlers.

“Let the ground staff do their job properly. The people above, the hierarchy, have just got to leave their noses out of it. It offers nothing. There is no grass on it. There is no seam movement, and there is no carry. You are picking a guy like Mir Hamza, who has a terrific first-class record. You pick guys who perform well at that level, but they come and bowl on this road. You can’t expect them to do the same job that they’re doing at the first-class level if you’re going to produce these types of surfaces,” said Doull while speaking on the Pitch Side show.

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