Shahid Afridi lashes out at Ramiz Raja for comments on Rawalpindi pitch

Former Pakistan cricketer and captain, Shahid Afridi expressed his displeasure and took a dig at former PCB chairman and cricketer Ramiz Raja over his comments on the Rawalpindi pitch in a recent Test match against England.

Afridi and Raja have been known to be sharing a very stale relation, especially ever since the latter was given the bullet from the PCB chairman. Notably, he has been spewing a lot of venom against the Pakistan cricket administration.

Would have been something big: Shahid Afridi rubbishes Ramiz Raja's pitch claims 

“The way Ramiz was speaking, I mean, I was shocked to listen to him saying that we cannot make tracks like these." the 45-year-old was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.

Afridi exclaimed that he was astonished to learn what Raja had to say about the pitch and at his comments on questioning Pakistan's abilities to make pitches for international games.

"International matches have been going on in Pakistan for such a long time, but then we say stuff like [this]. Ramiz said that he wanted a turning track. I feel in this weather; it would have been something big. T20s and ODIs, we’re fine, and pitches don’t come under that kind of scrutiny. But we’re still years away from preparing a great five-day pitch," he observed.

Afridi further went on to add that Pakistan pacers have always desired for and also succeeded on pitches with much bounce and seam, and that there was just nothing wrong with the Rawalpindi pitch on which Raja has been whining about so unneccesarily.

The former legendary big-hitter continued, “Rawalpindi’s track has always been for the fast bowlers with seam and bounce. Why did they even change it? If we are talking about the Rawalpindi pitch, I have never seen a track like this. I have seen a lot of domestic games as well there, but I have never seen a pitch like this which is so flat. It reminded me of Faisalabad or Sialkot track.

"The four big venues – Multan, Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi – I have seen fast bowlers enjoy those tracks because of the bounce. In fact, there was a time when we used to see a lot many fast bowlers coming from Rawalpindi,” Afridi concluded.

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