National Bank Stadium pitches to be upgraded with Australian soil

After 10 months of delay, imported Australian soil finally received customs clearance on Monday. The soil arrived at Jinnah International Airport in July 2022, but was stuck in customs due to some bureaucratic issues.

According to a media report, the process of removing the old soil from the pitches at the National Bank Stadium is underway. Initially, the Australian soil will be used to seed two pitches at the Stadium.

The former Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Ramiz Raja, stressed the importance of producing lively pitches for high-quality cricket before he was removed from his position in December 2022. To address this, the PCB sought the expertise of Damien Hough, the head curator of Adelaide Oval, to inspect local pitches and provide guidance to local curators on pitch-making techniques.

Hough inspected the outfields and pitches of local stadiums, including Gaddafi Stadium, National Bank Stadium, and Pindi Cricket Stadium.

Before departing on July 28, Hough delivered lectures to local curators, coaches, and city cricket associations on pitch preparations and the fundamental approach to creating pitches suitable for all three formats of the game.