PAK vs AUS 2022: Slow pitches are Australian cricket team's 'Catch'-22

Steve Smith has been at first slip for the Australian cricket team in the series against Pakistan

The Australian cricket team have been absent from the international touring scene since the Ashes in 2019, and the ongoing series for the Benaud-Qadir Trophy is exposing that problem.

Australia have simply missed the mark on their slips fielding this series, and it appears as though Pakistan's slower pitches may be the culprit.

Edges aren't carrying as far as traditional slip placements on Australian pitches. The Australian cricket team have been caught out in failing to adjust to unfamiliar conditions.

The conditions in Pakistan have called forth a gamble from the Australian cricket team. They moved Steve Smith into a closer position at first slip, well in front of wicketkeeper Alex Carey, to combat the lack of carry in the wicket.

But a catch went begging in between the two as Abdullah Shafique survived a healthy edge into a vacant first slip gap. Neither Steve Smith nor Alex Carey attempted the catch, leaving the positioning of both in a glaring spotlight.

Carey has made similar non-decisions in his short career so far. Smith appeared to not have enough time to react to the flying edge because he was standing closer to the pitch than usual.

Former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis believes the two should have been standing parallel to each other to negate any adverse effects of the alternatives.

“When you stand in front, you don’t know where the keeper is standing. So when the ball comes to your left, you sort of think ‘there’s a keeper behind me, he’ll catch that'. The keeper is probably looking at the slip thinking that he will catch that and the reaction time is so little that it’s hard to catch them.”

Australian cricket team's conundrum

There is no clear solution to the problem. Either the slips are too close and are beaten for pace, or they're too far and the knicks don't carry. Any closer to the wicketkeeper, and they risk hogging the keeper's eyeline. However, this experiment by the Australian cricket team - a staggered slips cordon - didn't go to plan.

Debate raged on social media over whether it was Smith or Carey that should've attempted the catch.

The uninspiring and lackluster pitches this series have been labeled 'below average' by the ICC, and have contributed to less-than-appealing draws dominated by the bat. But the negative consequences of a dead wicket have also manifested in the standard of slip catching.

Pat Cummins was able to grab his side's sole wicket for the day. He trapped Imam-u-Haq leg-before for 11. But Pakistan finished Day 2 at 90/1, trailing by 301 runs.