Jason Gillespie and Shan Masood, Pakistan’s coach and captain, had a look at the pitch on Sunday morning, before Gillespie had a lengthy conversation with Tony Hemming, the PCB’s Australian head curator. The bowlers’ footmarks from the first Test looked dry and cracked, and were further dried by the fans and the harsh sun.
There were some signs of variable bounce by the final day of the Test as England wrapped up their win, but Chris Woakes said it had offered “bugger all” for bowlers. Kevin Pietersen, the former England captain, described it as a “bowlers’ graveyard” on X/Twitter, and suggested that Pakistan should re-use it for the second Test.
The second Test was initially scheduled for Karachi, but was moved to Multan at late notice due to ongoing renovations at the National Stadium. The PCB have pledged to give it a “major facelift” ahead of the Champions Trophy next year, and Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium was unavailable for the England series for the same reason.
Pakistan’s move is unusual, not least because it is rare for the same venue to stage consecutive Tests. But ICC’s pitch regulations only require the “best possible pitch and outfield conditions” with no stipulations that the surface must be fresh or unused, and after 11 consecutive home Tests without a win, Pakistan may feel the need to try something different.
