'Because we have to win' - Shaheen Afridi explains why Pakistan play on flat pitches at home

Shaheen Shah Afridi has spilt the beans on why the Pakistan team prefers to prepare flat wickets when playing any series at home. The statement from the Pakistani captain came after the Men in Green clinched a thrilling 2-1 series win against Australia in the recently concluded three-match series.

According to Shaheen, it is absolutely okay for the host team to prepare favourable wickets to suit their style of play, as it boosts their chances to win. He emphasised how the same happens to them when they tour another country like England or the West Indies, as the host side usually curates surfaces that suit the conditions there.

"Every team prepares pitches that suit them when they play in their backyard to win. We have Test series [in the West Indies and England coming up] in which some of these players will play and they can use them to prepare themselves [for the World Cup]," Shaheen was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

The tearaway fast bowler reflected back to the times when the Pakistani team went to play down under and got to play on green and bouncy pitches, as the Mohammad Rizwan-led side lost to the Australians in a disappointing drubbing. In the same vein, Shaheen believes that keeping green or bouncy wickets on offer isn't something that will work largely in the Indian subcontinent conditions.

"We played on green and bouncy pitches when we went to Australia under [Mohammad] Rizwan's captaincy, and we won that series. You cannot offer them green wickets when they come here because we have to win.

With roughly fifteen months to go for the 2027 ODI World Cup, Shaheen was asked how the team is planning to prepare for the conditions in Africa, where the ball is expected to bounce and the wickets are often relatively favourable for the fast bowlers. The left-arm pacer replied that there's an ample amount of time left for the quadrennial tournament and that they will be trying out different wickets to be fully ready.

"These were tough wickets, and scoring runs or spending time on them was not easy. We have time on our hands before the World Cup and we will prepare pitches of different characteristics as well in the build-up," Shaheen concluded.