Akram criticises pitch for SL-Pak semifinal

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has lashed out at the authorities for preparing a unsporting track for the ICC World Twenty20 semifinal between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the Premadasa stadium in Colombo.

Wasim, who is in Colombo as a commentator and expert, described the pitch on which Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by 16 runs last night in a low scoring game as “impossible pitch to bat on”.

“I should say that this pitch certainly was not in the spirit of the game. It was an impossible pitch to bat on and I am surprised they had such a surface for such a big match,” Akram told Geo News channel.

The former left-arm pacer said the dry and turning pitch was a test for the batsmen and he always knew that even chasing 140 on it would be a challenging job for any side.

“On this pitch 140 was like chasing 180. I don’t know how you can have such a pitch for such a big match, it was disappointing,” he said.

The former skipper also pointed out that the pitch was not meant for T20 cricket.

Wasim said that before the men’s semifinal the women’s semifinal was already been played on the pitch, which was already assisting the bowlers.

“When Pakistan batted 60 overs had been bowled on it. This is not acceptable for such a big match,” Wasim, who has taken 414 Test and 502 one-day wickets, said.

The former pacer added that the “poor surface robbed the spectators of entertainment”.