Archive · 8 Sep 2026
Bazid Khan Alleges India Receives Longer Test-Match Pitches
Former Pakistan cricketer Bazid Khan made a claim about cricket pitches.
He said India may get flatter pitches so its Test matches last five days.
He said Pakistan and other teams may get pitches where games finish much sooner.
Bazid believes this happens because India brings large audiences and significant commercial value.
He said hosts could lose money if India’s matches finish early.
However, he did not give proof that boards deliberately prepare pitches differently.
His comments came after Pakistan lost two Tests to England, lasting three and four days.
Pakistan then changed its team by dropping seven players before the third Test.
Former Pakistan batter Bazid Khan accused the England and Wales Cricket Board and other boards of preparing different pitches for India and Pakistan.
He alleged that India receives flatter pitches designed to make Test matches last five days, while Pakistan faces tracks that can produce three-day games.
Bazid said India’s large audience and commercial value create incentives for hosts to prolong its matches, but he provided no evidence.
His comments followed Pakistan’s losses to England in two Tests, which lasted three and four days respectively.
Pakistan dropped seven players before the third Test, scheduled to begin on September 9, after a difficult series in England.
- Who
- Former Pakistan batter Bazid Khan, the England and Wales Cricket Board, other cricket boards, India, Pakistan, and England.
- What
- Bazid Khan alleged that hosts prepare longer-lasting, flatter pitches for India while Pakistan receives pitches that can produce shorter Tests.
- When
- The allegation was reported on September 7, 2026; Pakistan’s third Test was scheduled to begin on September 9, 2026.
- Where
- Bazid made the comments on a Pakistan television program while discussing Test tours in England and elsewhere.
- Why
- Bazid said boards seek to maximize the commercial value of tours involving India and avoid losses from shortened matches.
Bazid Khan’s Allegation
Evidence and Official Position
Pitch preparation
Bazid Khan’s Allegation
Bazid alleged that England and other hosts create flatter pitches for India so its Tests last five days, while matches involving Pakistan can finish in three days.
Evidence and Official Position
The reports provide no evidence confirming deliberate pitch bias, and neither the England and Wales Cricket Board nor the International Cricket Council is quoted responding to the claim.
Commercial motivation
Bazid Khan’s Allegation
Bazid said India’s large audience and money-making value give hosts a financial incentive to ensure that more scheduled days of cricket are played.
Evidence and Official Position
The reports present this as Bazid’s explanation; they do not establish that boards actually alter pitches for commercial reasons.
Recent Test durations
Bazid Khan’s Allegation
Bazid pointed to Pakistan’s three-day and four-day Tests in England as consistent with his allegation.
Evidence and Official Position
The reports describe those match lengths and Pakistan’s defeats, but duration alone does not prove that pitches were intentionally prepared differently.
- Speaker
- Bazid Khan, a former Pakistan batter
- Main allegation
- Hosts prepare flatter, longer-lasting pitches for India than for Pakistan
- Evidence
- The reports state that Bazid provided no proof
- Recent results
- England won Pakistan’s first two Tests of the series
- Match durations
- The first Test lasted three days and the second lasted four days
- India’s last England tour
- The five-Test series spanned all 25 scheduled days, according to the report
- Pakistan team changes
- Seven players were dropped before the third Test
