‘Bowler's graveyard’: Kevin Pietersen slams Multan pitch

Kevin Pietersen on Wednesday lashed out at Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for producing a flat surface in the opening Test between Pakistan and England in Multan.

“Still a bowlers graveyard! If this wicket doesn’t crumble and produce a result, it’s helping DESTROY Test cricket,” he wrote in a post on X.

Batting first, Shan Masood (151), Salman Ali Agha (104 not out), Abdullah Shafique (102), and Saud Shakeel (82) scored heavily as the hosts posted 556.

In response, England were 472/3, with Joe Root and Harry Brook scoring hundreds.

Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan have also slammed the Multan track for not helping the bowlers.

Meanwhile, England batting maestro Joe Root has entered his name in the history books as he went past Brian Lara, Younis Khan and Mahela Jayawardene’s tally of centuries during the Multan Test against Pakistan.

Root struck his 35th Test hundred on Day 3 and jumped to the sixth place in the list of most centuries in the format.

Most Centuries in Test Cricket

• Sachin Tendulkar – 51 centuries
• Jacques Kallis – 45 centuries
• Ricky Ponting – 41 centuries
• Kumar Sangakkara – 38 centuries
• Rahul Dravid – 36 centuries
• Joe Root – 35 centuries

Root also reached the fifth spot in the all-time highest Test run-scorers.