Wasim wants better tracks for next games
01 October, 2009
JOHANNESBURG: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram joined hands with Javed Miandad in criticising the pitches prepared for the Champions Trophy, saying that such tracks would keep spectators away from One-day Internationals. Wasim told `Our Sources` that at the time when fifty-over version of the game was fighting for survival in face of a tough challenge from Twenty20, the ICC should have prepared pitches for the revival of ODIs. "Looking at the Wanderers pitch and the one at which Pakistan are playing on Wednesday, these pitches do not assist stroke-play. The ball is doing tricks and even the likes of Elliott - a part-time bowler who took 4 wickets against England on Tuesday - are making full use of the conditions. The limited overs game is meant for high scores. It is about giving the best entertainment to the spectators who turn up at the ground. Surprisingly barring a few matches, we have not seen pitches behaving normally," Wasim said. Only a couple of days back another former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad termed the pitches used here as `dangerous`. Wasim said he fully backs Miandad`s opinion on the pitches prepared for the event. "It is hard to get runs on such tracks. Pakistan are struggling to score runs against Australia mainly because of uneven bounce - the ball sometimes keeps low and sometimes rises sharply. This is not the way to popularise the game." End.
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