Pakistan team director Mohammad Hafeez on Monday slammed the cricket pitch dished out for his side in the warm-up match against Prime Minister's XI in Canberra last week.
The four-day game between Pakistan and PM XI ended in a draw after the visiting team made 391 for 9 declared in 116.2 overs but crucially, their bowlers could only pick 4 wickets after toiling hard for 141 overs as the home side responded with 367/4.
The game finished earlier than scheduled due to rain in the capital city on Day 4.
'Disappointment really high' says Hafeez
Hafeez said the decision to prepare such slow conditions for Pakistan might have been a tactical decision from Cricket Australia so that their batters and bowlers don't get used to the fast pitch at the WACA in Perth, where the first Test will be played from December 14.
"That was the slowest pitch a visiting team could ever play on in Australia. As a team we are really happy with our preparations because we ticked most of the boxes.
"Everyone knew [the pitch wasn't what we wanted], so there was no point of saying it again and again and raising the issue with Cricket Australia. The disappointment was really high because we weren't expecting these kinds of arrangements.
"Maybe it's tactical but we're ready for it. We're not using it as an excuse, we're absolutely ready for the challenges coming up," Hafeez told reporters.
