PAK vs AUS 2022: PCB makes a smart move as Rawalpindi Test ends in a draw

There were plenty of questions regarding Pakistan's ability to negotiate Australia's fast bowlers on a traditionally seaming pitch in Rawalpindi ahead of the first Test.

The PCB would have been happy to first see off the PSL without any mid-tournament problems, something that has plagued the last two editions. The PSL was a major high for Pakistan given how the last two matches were played and the crowd fever it generated in Lahore.

Pakistan would have ideally wanted this historic series to be played at a later date. However, congestion in the international fixture list forced it to be held within a week of the conclusion of the PSL. Moreover, it was not able to move the venue from Rawalpindi given the visitors' reservations about security in Karachi.

Karachi offers Pakistan favorable conditions against SENA countries as the pitch there turns sharply. As they move to the north of the country, they get the juicier pitches of Lahore and Rawalpindi. Pakistan would have ideally wanted to play these Test matches in Karachi given how strongly the World Test Championship schedule favors them this time around. However, Australia had their concerns and PCB eventually gave in.

It was a decision that the PCB had to take to carry on with the schedule. They could also ill-afford to have postponed the series after having recently seen New Zealand and England pull out of their commitments.

Another challenge facing the PCB was the fact that a majority of players for the series have barely played a Test match recently. Apart from their two spinners, Fawad Alam and Azhar Ali, the rest of the team came straight from the PSL. Playing a Test match in Rawalpindi within a week of the culmination of PSL 7 was a big gamble.

To add to that, several regular first-team players like Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, and Shan Masood were ruled out with injuries.

Lifeless Rawalpindi pitch a smart gamble

With two of their premier fast bowlers Hasan Ali and Haris Rauf missing out, the PCB management did what was best for business. Preparing a lifeless Pindi pitch was all that could have papered over their existing issues.

The pitch allowed their batsmen to score plenty of runs in both innings and gave them to opportunity to bowl most of their overs through their spinners. In many ways, it was a welcome relief for everyone in Pakistan who expected total Australian domination in the country.