About 10 days now before you leave for Pakistan.What are the pitches there like for the series? Well, my initial responsibility was only to make recommendations, but it’s now been expanded to preparing pitches as well. Pakistan have some really good fast bowlers and also a few good spinners. So the pitches will have to help their fast bowlers and, later, their spinners. You basically want a result. You want the first three days of the match to be even, where the ball comes on to the bat well and there’s some pace and even bounce. You then want things to start happening after that and the ball starting to turn. So that all skills are tested. But that’s a bit idealistic — I don’t get briefs to prepare pitches a particular way Have you managed to keep track of developments at the centres in Pakistan since you were there in November? I left detailed instructions with Aga Zaheed, who’s in charge, Basheer, the head groundsman, and Rameez Raja. These have to do with general maintenance. I’m sure things are fine and everything’s been done according to specifications. But I’ll have to go there first. It’s been reported that you’d recommended relaying the Rawalpindi pitch because it was not fit for international cricket. Is that correct? The Rawalpindi ground is the one ground not directly under PCB control. It’s a bit difficult to get things done there because we have no control over it. But, having said that, it’s not a bad ground. There’s nothing seriously wrong with it. See, what we understand by a good or bad ground is whether it is a result pitch or not. Since I have been working, they haven’t had Test matches there and the one-day pitches have been pretty good. But should the pitch have been relaid? The two centre pitches have been relaid recently, as in Lahore, Faisalabad and Multan. When I went there first after the England tour in 2001, the players were a bit unhappy, because it had suited England more So what kind of pitches do you promise us for this tour? Oh, I can’t really promise anything. That’ll be a bit foolish. I don’t know how things have progressed since I left. Ask me that after I’ve reached Pakistan.
