Ramiz Raja, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), says the "half-baked pitch" in Rawalpindi for the historic first Test against England is "embarrassing" following heavy criticism from supporters.
Flat surfaces were a feature of Pakistan's series against Australia back in March, with the first two Tests in Rawalpindi and Karachi ending in draws after more than 1,000 runs were scored between the two teams.
And after England racked up 657 in Rawalpindi before Pakistan reached 181-0 in response on day two, fans hit out on social media about the state of pitches in the country. "This pitch is an absolute disgrace to test cricket," one fan wrote. "We waited so long for this series and this is what we got."
"Watching Test cricket in Pakistan is nothing short than torture," wrote another. "Such kind of pitches are truly a disgrace to our bowling unit, I feel sorry for them."
And Raja agrees with fan criticism, suggesting the only solution is to bring in removable drop-in pitches. "We live in the dark ages of pitches in Pakistan," he told reporters.
"It is embarrassing for us, especially when you have a cricketer as chairman. This is not a good advert for cricket. We're a better cricketing nation than this.
"I think our way out is for drop-in pitches. If you want to nail England, for example, we've got to prepare a drop-in pitch that turns from ball number one. It is better than having this hodge-podge where you get a half-baked pitch which is neither quick nor spin."
Pakistan legend and former head coach Waqar Younis, meanwhile, explained the fact that Pakistan has spent more than ten years staging very little Test cricket at home due to security concerns means pitches have been neglected.
"In our days pitches had a lot more carry and bounce and those 10 years when we were absent from cricket and had to play in the UAE, no-one took care of pitches back home," he told BBC Test Match Special. "The stadiums need renovation and the pitches need to be relayed perhaps."
