The West Indies T20I series in December 2021 served as a boon to the sports infrastructure of Pakistan, as international cricket finally arrived in the country. The Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021/22 was a massive success with a strong footfall of crowds to witness their favourite cricketers in action.
In March 2022, the Australian team returned to Pakistan after 24 years. The visitors prevailed in the test series 1-0 and won a one-off T20I as well, while Pakistan won the ODI series 2-1.
In the latest video posted by Pakistan Cricket on Twitter, the curators of the Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore and the National Stadium in Karachi are explaining the need to upgrade the pitches after observing shortcomings during the cricketing action taking place in the last few months.
"We wait for the post-season to rectify the shortcomings observed during the last few series and experiment with the new soil and new grass. The pitches are compacted during the matches. Now we are decompacting it. The lifeless organic matter is removed from the surface," the curator said.
"We are making new pitches, and Dhaka and Desi grass are being implanted. One of the pitches will be completely revamped, and the Australian soil will be used for the same. Rest 11 pitches have been taken care of by spilling fertilizer and spray, and all the preparation is done for the new season," another curator added.
According to the schedule released by PCB, the men's and women's teams of Pakistan Cricket will be busy for the next six months. The up-gradation of facilities is a key example to upgrade the pitches ahead of the series.
In May 2022, the Sri Lanka women's team will play 3 ODIs and as many T20Is in National Stadium, Karachi. On the other hand, the West Indies men's team will complete a 3-match ODI series in June against the Pakistan men's team. However, the series was postponed due to the covid cases in the West Indies camp during the T20I series in December last year.