Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and sent Pakistan in to bat on the opening day of the PAK vs BAN 1st Test after a delayed start due to a wet outfield at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
Umpires were set to make a second inspection at 11:00 a.m. local time as there were still some wet patches on the outfield following early morning rain.
The two umpires — Richard Kettleborough of England and Adrian Holdstock of South Africa — made four inspections of the ground but found wet patches due to overnight rain, deemed dangerous for play.
No play was possible before lunch with 230 minutes of play lost, curtailing the day to 48 overs. The weather forecast for all five days is not encouraging with rain and bad light predicted.
Also Read: Sri Lanka wanted to play more warm-up games, says captain Dhananjaya
Pakistan entered the PAK vs BAN 1st Test with four fast bowlers in all-pace attack with no frontline spinner while Bangladesh included three pacers and two spinners. The two-match series is part of the nine-team World Test championship with Pakistan currently sixth in the standings and Bangladesh eighth. Rawalpindi will also host the second test of the two-match series from August 30.
Reacting to the condition of the stadium, netizens took to X and slammed the unreadiness of the PCB to host the Champions Trophy.
This the condition of Rawalpindi Cricket stadium of Pakistan`s.
Only five months are left for the Champions Trophy. The new ICC chairman Jay Shah should immediately change the venue of the Champions Trophy.#PakistanCricket #PAKvsBAN pic.twitter.com/NRrJqbmNwZ
— Vinod Chouhan (@R_Vinod01) August 21, 2024
80`s cricket
80`s players
80`s Grounds
80`s Cricket board
80`s country
That`s the 2 pm update. Still wet. They can`t even dry the ground with no rain since 9am #PAKvsBAN #PakistanCricket
😂 pic.twitter.com/O0ZeTvKI9y
— Boynextdoor (@boynextdoor2009) August 21, 2024
Guess which country this cricket stadium might be 🤔🤔🤔#PakistanCricket #PAKvsBAN pic.twitter.com/hHy14GwKV6
— ishwar (@ImIshwarkr) August 21, 2024
Saar we will host Champions Trophy in Pakistan this year with this world class facilities 😂💯 .
Pakistan palyers literally using buckets and sponges to dry the wet field.#PAKvsBAN #PakistanCricket pic.twitter.com/vSr9cCWCGg
— Manu 𝕏 (@manoj_tweezz) August 21, 2024
Pathetic. No rain for last 3 hrs, sun on full. But Rawalpindi ground is not yet ready for the play. They think they can host Champions Trophy here. Guys in SL make it ready in am hour despite of thunderstorm. @poserarcher
#PakistanCricket #PakvsBan #PakvBan #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/T1U9yFIWrh
— Cricket Vibes_Arjav (@IamArjav) August 21, 2024
The Pakistan Cricket Board moved that match because of ongoing construction work at the National Bank Stadium ahead of Champions Trophy.
Since international cricket resumed in Pakistan after the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team, the PCB has organized matches exclusively at three specific venues.
Construction experts have advised the PCB that ongoing construction could proceed during match hours, potentially causing distractions and disturbances for the players due to noise and dust.
The renovations at the National Stadium are currently underway to prepare the venue for the 2025 Champions Trophy.