"I was only listening to Babar" - Ramiz Raja on home pitch preparations during his reign as PCB chairman

Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja has blamed the then-captain Babar Azam for the home pitch woes during his tenure. The former cricketer claimed that Babar used to come up with strategies and that he couldn't question them beyond an extent due to the captain's directive.

The PCB came under heavy criticism for producing lifeless pitches almost throughout the home Test series against England and Australia in 2022. While Australia registered a 1-0 victory in the three-Test series, England swept all three matches, maximizing the advantage of flat tracks.

Speaking to the BBC Test Match Special during the second Test between Pakistan and England in Multan, here's what Ramiz said (via Cricket Pakistan):

"I wasn’t really bossing the pitch preparation. I was only listening to Babar. When he’d walk into my room, I’d ask him what plans he had to beat Australia. He came up with the strategy, and even though I sometimes questioned it, he was the captain at the end of the day."

The hosts dished out similar tracks during the two-Test series against Bangladesh and the opening Test against England this year. While the bowlers failed to gain much purchase, the batters also underperformed, resulting in Pakistan's defeat in all three matches.

"The pitches have not really responded to the kind of talent that you picked to perform" - Ramiz Raja

In the same interview, the 62-year-old suggested that the unknown nature of the surfaces has been the major reason behind Pakistan's underperformance at home. He said:

"It becomes a guessing game when you do not know the nature of a pitch. You can't really plan for an assault if the pitch is not going to behave properly or to your liking and to your strength. And that's been the major reason, a major cause for Pakistan's debacle at home. The pitches have not really responded to the kind of talent that you picked to perform."

After losing the first Test to England in Multan, Pakistan leveled the series in style in the second game with a 152-run win. The series decider will begin on October 24 in Rawalpindi.