“It’s helping DESTROY Test cricket” - Kevin Pietersen slams Multan pitch of 1st PAK vs ENG 2024 Test yet again
Kevin Pietersen lashed out at the Multan pitch of the first Test between England and Pakistan yet again on Wednesday (October 9). This was the second instance of Pietersen making his displeasure known at the flat surface of Multan.
The game saw Pakistan batting first and getting off to a solid start with centuries from Abdullah Shafique (102) and Shan Masood (151). Saud Shakeel (82) and Agha Salman (104*) then piled further misery on England, as the hosts posted a total of 556. Jack Leach was the pick of the bowlers for the visitors with three scalps.
In response, England are currently at 337/3 and possess a run rate of over 5, with Joe Root registering his 35th Test century. As a result, the cricket fraternity has expressed disappointment at the Multan surface for being too favorable to the batters.
Kevin Pietersen took to X and opined that the pitch can have a severe impact on the popularity of Test cricket, if it doesn't improve in the last two days. He wrote:
"Still a bowlers graveyard! If this wicket doesn’t crumble and produce a result, it’s helping DESTROY Test cricket."
Other England cricketers like Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan have also slammed the Multan pitch for offering no assistance to the bowlers.
Kevin Pietersen also criticized Hyderabad pitch earlier this year
Earlier this year, England toured India for a five-match Test series. On Day 1 of the first Test in Hyderabad, the England top-order batters weren't potent enough against the Indian spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
In only 35 overs, the visitors had lost half of their wickets, which concerned Kevin Pietersen, who was also one of the commentators during the game. Pietersen lashed out at the pitch for offering too much assistance to the spinners.
Here's what Pietersen said:
"Look at the way Jadeja's first two deliveries turned. That's Day 1 of a Test match. The ball shouldn't be turning that much." [H/t NDTV Sports]
However, co-commentator Sunil Gavaskar responded to Pietersen by pointing out the flaws in the England batters' approach against the spinners. He said:
"It's not as if the ball was spinning and bouncing, look at the dismissals. (Zak) Crawley caught at mid-on, Root out sweeping. All the other batters... the technique was not good. It wasn't turning and bouncing that much."
Despite the nature of the surface, England went on to win the game by 28 runs. However, India bounced back to secure a 4-1 series victory.