Pakistan use big fans and heaters to prepare spin-friendly Rawalpindi pitch to demolish England

Pakistan are trying their best in order to prepare a spin-friendly surface at Rawalpindi for the third Test of the series against England. This means that the home team will use the same strategy for the visiting team that they used in the second Test.

In the second Test match at Multan, spinners Sajid Khan and Noman Ali wreaked havoc and picked up all the 20 wickets. Left-arm spinner Noman Ali finished with 11 wickets in the match while the offspinner Sajid Khan finished with 9 wickets.

As a result, the Men in Green finally claimed a Test victory on the home soil after a gap of more than three years. It was a much-needed win for the home side as they had already been whitewashed 0-2 by Bangladesh and were 0-1 behind in the current series against England.

Also read: IPL 2025: Jitesh Sharma set to be retained by Punjab Kings? Keeper-batter reveals

Pakistan using unique methods to tackle England's Bazball approach

The pitch for the third Test between Pakistan & England in Rawalpindi 🇵🇰🔥

Fans are doing the work, it's expected to be bone dry. Good luck, BazBall 🤯 #PAKvENG pic.twitter.com/ADarLxhkdZ

— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) October 21, 2024

In an attempt to prepare a spin-friendly pitch at Rawalpindi, Pakistan are using outdoor heaters, huge industrial-sized fans, and outdoor heaters on the pitch at the Pindi Cricket Stadium.

The groundstaff had kept large fans at both ends of the pitch in an attempt to dry the surface as much as they could. The windbreak was kept at each end to store the heat in the pitch which will help it dry more.

Rawalpindi produces the flattest pitches in the world. Fast bowlers traditionally have a better record here as compared to the spinners. However, spin seems to be the only way how the home team can dominate England in the upcoming Test match.

In the last two Tests played at this venue, Bangladesh defeated the Men In Green to achieve a historic milestone. Bangladesh's offspinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz picked up 10 wickets in two Tests of the series.

Since Pakistan have started playing Test matches back in their country, Rawalpindi has averaged 50 runs per wicket. Thus, it will be a challenge for the curator and the ground staff to prepare a pitch suitable for spin bowling.

Fast bowlers have a better record than spinners

During this period, fast bowlers have performed slightly better with 34 runs per wicket. Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali picked up 9 out of 10 wickets between them in the fourth innings of the match in January 2021.

In the last Test at Multan, the match was played on the same strip that was used for the first Test, also in Multan. The strategy was to produce a spin-friendly surface and allow the pitch to break down.

The move turned out to be a successful one as Pakistan's spinners made full use of it and destroyed England's star-studded batting line-up.

Series level at 1-1

Pakistan's players trained on Monday morning and had a look at the pitch. Meanwhile, England did not train on Monday and will train on Tuesday. The third Test between Pakistan and England will begin on October 24.

England will be better prepared for a spin-friendly pitch this time around. With the series level at 1-1, it is likely to be an enthralling Test match as both teams will be aiming to win the series.