Pakistan ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi has defended the team’s pitch strategy following Pakistan’s 2-1 ODI series victory over Australia, insisting that preparing home conditions to suit local strengths is a standard practice in international cricket.
Pakistan secured the three-match ODI series against Australia after employing slow, spin-friendly surfaces in Rawalpindi and Lahore, where their spin bowlers played a decisive role in restricting the visitors and controlling key moments of the contest.
The nature of the pitches used during the Pakistan vs Australia ODI series sparked debate among former players and cricket analysts, with some questioning whether the surfaces were excessively tailored to favour the home side. However, Afrididismissed such criticism and backed the Pakistan team management’s approach after the series-deciding match at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.
“Every team prepares pitches that suit them when they play in their backyard to win,” Afridi told reporters.
The Pakistan captain said home advantage remains an important aspect of international cricket and pointed out that teams frequently encounter conditions specifically designed to favourlocal players when touring overseas.
Afridi cited Pakistan’s recent tour of Australia as an example, noting that his side had to adapt to fast, bouncy and seam-friendly pitches but still managed to achieve success under the leadership of Mohammad Rizwan.
“We have important Test series coming up in the West Indies and England, and some of these players will feature in those matches. These experiences can help them prepare for future challenges, including the ICC Cricket World Cup,” Afridi said.
“We played on green and bouncy wickets when we toured Australia under Mohammad Rizwan’s captaincy and we won that series. You cannot offer visiting teams green wickets when they come here because we also have to maximise our chances of winning.”
Afridi stressed that Pakistan’s pitch preparation was not solely focused on securing short-term results but also aimed at developing players capable of handling different conditions ahead of major international tournaments.
The left-arm pacer acknowledged that batting was difficult throughout the ODI series, but argued that challenging conditions help players improve their skills and temperament under pressure.
“These were tough wickets, and scoring runs or spending time at the crease was not easy,” he said.
“We still have time before the next World Cup, and we will continue preparing pitches with different characteristics so that our players can adapt to all types of conditions.”
Earlier, Spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shadab Khan starred in Pakistan’s four-wicket win in their decisive third and final one-day international against Australia in Lahore on Thursday.
Shaheen grabbed 3-30 to bundle Australia out for 157 before Shadab added a fighting 29 not out to his two wickets, helping Pakistan to their winning target in 41.5 overs.
That gave Pakistan a 2-1 series win — their third successive ODI series victory over Australia — after they won the first match by five wickers in Rawalpindi.
Australia won the second by 41 runs, also in Lahore.
Left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann’s career best 3-38 — including Babar Azam’s wicket for 40 — had given the visitors some hope of an unlikely win.
At 112-6, Pakistan were in a spot of bother but Shadab found an able partner in Abdul Samad as the duo added a match-winning 49 runs for the unbroken seventh wicket stand.
Shadab’s second boundary sealed the win, while Samad’s 18 not out included one boundary.
Australian captain Josh Inglis praised his team.
“I thought the bowlers and the fielding group made a great effort to put us in a position to potentially win the game, but it wasn’t to be in the end,” he said.
“We have some young and inexperienced guys so it’s a great learning experience for them.”
Earlier, Shaheen was ably supported by Abrar Ahmed (2-19) and Shadab (2-28) as Australia’s innings folded in 42 overs after they won the toss and batted.
Spinners Abrar and Shadab built on Shaheen’s early strikes as Pakistan made a strong comeback after a disappointing loss in the second game.
Inglis top-scored with a 71-ball 65 which included eight boundaries and a six, with Marnus Labuschagne and Alex Carey scoring 19 each and Adam Zampa making 10.
Shaheen had Matthew Short caught off the second ball of the match before Inglis added 46 for the second wicket with Labuschagne and another 52 for the third with Carey.
But Australia lost their last seven wickets for a meagre 38 runs with two run outs also hurting their innings. With input from AFP
