Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Mike Hesson believes Pakistan curating spin-friendly surfaces will benefit them during the upcoming 2027 ODI World Cup, set to be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia.
Spin pitches for World Cup preparation
Pakistan had a convincing win over Australia in the first ODI, where their spinners shared eight wickets between them, with debutant Arafat Minhas getting the biggest chunk with a five-for.
The tracks in the rest of the games, which will be played at Gaddafi Stadium on June 2 and June 4, are likely to be spin-friendly as well. But Hesson thinks this provides the side with ideal preparation for the World Cup, as the surfaces in Namibia and Zimbabwe favour spinners more.
“I’ve been hearing a bit of chatter about the pitches here in Pakistan not being the ideal preparation for the World Cup in South Africa. It’s actually a topic I talked about on the latest [PCB podcast],” Hesson wrote on X.
“Firstly, the World Cup is jointly hosted in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Zimbabwe and Namibia have venues where spin is a big factor, and we will be playing matches in those countries.”
Not all South Africa pitches are bouncy
Hesson further said that it is a common misconception that all pitches in South Africa are pace and bouncy and respond only to pacers, specifically hit-the-deck bowlers. Citing an example from Pakistan’s last ODI series in South Africa in 2024, where the two teams played the opening ODI in Paarl.
That game saw spinners dominating the first innings, sharing seven wickets between them with Salman Ali Agha grabbing four, Abrar Ahmed dismissing two, and Saim Ayub getting one wicket.
“The myth of all pitches in South Africa being quick and bouncy is just not true; there are definitely some which are, but they also vary throughout the country.”
“Those that remember the last ODI series Pakistan played in SA, which included Paarl, where spin dictated the outcome of the match. Rest assured, we have [completed] significant research and will be using the next 18 months to prepare for a variety of conditions.”
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