'Does the directive come from Babar Azam?': Simon Doull's stunning remark on nature of pitches in Pakistan

Former New Zealand fast bowler Simon Doull has lashed out at the pitch conditions in Karachi during the recent Test series between Pakistan and New Zealand.

The first Test finished in a high-scoring draw at Karachi's National Stadium, while the second Test game also ended in a thriller draw. With Pakistan required 16 runs and New Zealand 1 wicket to win, the bad light stopped play eventually ending the 2 match series 0-0.

The second Test, like the first, saw plenty of runs until the second session on Day 4. Doull, who was commentating in the recent concludedseries, seems visibly frustrated by Pakistan's lifeless pitches.

“Where do these directives come from? Do they come from Babar Azam? Does he want to play on these roads to improve his own stats,” Doull said on-air.

"Where do these directives come from? Do they come from Babar Azam? Does he want to play on these roads to improve his own stats," Simon Doull lashes out on the nature of pitches in Pakistan. #PAKvNZ pic.twitter.com/EhvSxeQaor

— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) January 4, 2023

Speaking on the Pitch Side show, the 53-year-old further said: “Let the ground staff do their job properly. The people above, the hierarchy, have just got to leave their noses out of it.”

“It offers nothing. There is no grass on it. There is no seam movement, and there is no carry,” he added.

“You are picking a guy like Mir Hamza who has a terrific first-class record. You pick guys who perform well at that level, but they come and bowl on this road. You can’t expect them to do the same job that they’re doing at the first-class level if you’re going to produce these types of surfaces.”

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has recently come under fire for serving unresponsive tracks. The pitches were subpar in the last two Test series against England and Australia, and the Rawalpindi pitch obtained a below-average rating from the ICC.

While Pakistan lost the three-match Test series against Australia 1-0 earlier this year, they were recently thrashed 3-0 by England.

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