• Source:JND
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Pakistan's fast bowler Naseem Shah has expressed his disappointment with the pitch used for the first Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi, suggesting that it didn't fully utilize Pakistan's home advantage.

He emphasized the importance of preparing surfaces that play to Pakistan's strengths, allowing them to maximize their advantage in future home matches.

Pakistan's pace quartet endured a gruelling Day 4 as the pitch refused to deteriorate, making it difficult to claim wickets. Bangladesh's Mushfiqur Rahim capitalized on the flat surface, scoring 191 as Pakistan spent 167.3 overs in the field.

At the post-day press conference, Shah, who delivered 27.3 overs, attributed his initial struggles to the sweltering Rawalpindi heat and the lengthy gap since Pakistan's previous Test. Shah has expressed his disappointment and frustration with the PCB for not preparing pitches that favor either fast bowlers or spinners. Despite the Rawalpindi pitch having a thick grass cover, which suggested it would support the pacers, the surface failed to deliver.

"I'm playing a Test after more than a year and took me time to find my rhythm. The kind of weather we have right now, it's extremely hot, and we didn't get the kind of help from the surface as a bowling unit as we expected," Naseem Shah said after Day 4 of the first Test.

"If we're incapable of making the sort of pitches that help fast bowlers, then we should look at whether we can produce spin wickets. However you do it, you need to use home advantage," he added.

Recent Test matches in Pakistan have been dull and uneventful, with bowlers relying heavily on reverse swing to take wickets, lacking the support of lively and responsive pitches. This is in sharp contrast to other international venues, which have opted for more balanced and sporting wickets, or even those that give bowlers a distinct advantage, making for more engaging and competitive cricket.

"People come to enjoy Test cricket in this heat, so you need to entertain them. What shouldn't happen is you're on the field at home and thinking this is hard work. The more you keep cricket entertaining, the better. It's something we need to seriously think about," Naseem said.

"We believed the fast bowlers would get plenty of help here. But what we were expecting didn't exactly happen. With four fast bowlers, your mindset is to take wickets with the quick balls. However, I don't think it'll spin either, because there's grass on the pitch. But the pitch is very dry underneath, and the ball isn't getting much help off the grass because of that, even if it appears like it might off the surface," said the young Pakistan pacer.