Rashid Latif concedes game due to 'unfit pitch'

Karachi region Blues 33 for 4 (Nazir 4-22) conceded the match v Faisalabad Region Scorecard

Rashid Latif could face disciplinary action after leading his team off the field in protest of what he termed was "an unfit pitch". Leading the Karachi Blues in a Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match against Faisalabad, the home side, Latif took the drastic step after Karachi had slumped to 33 for 4, and several of their batsmen had taken blows to the body.

"I didn't want any serious injury to take place," Latif told The News, a Pakistan daily. "The pitch was not fit for a first-class match and the batsmen were getting bat on ball with difficulty due to the unusual movement and variable bounce.

"I asked the players to come off after declaring the innings because the umpires were not allowing them to come off otherwise. Afterwards I gave in writing to the match referee that we could not continue the match on the pitch which was unfit and dangerous for the players."

Shafiq Ahmed, the chairman of the Domestic Tournament Monitoring Committee (DTMC), later announced that match referee Khalid Niazi had awarded the match to Faisalabad since Karachi had refused to carry on.

Shafiq also refuted Latif's claim that the pitch was not fit for a first-class match. "The pitch was not dangerous or unfit for play. It had moisture in it and there was a lot of grass on it but this can be expected in Punjab at this time of the year." He stated that the Pakistan board would decide if disciplinary action would be taken against Latif and the entire Karachi team. "The umpires Rasheed Bhatti and Mian Aslam and the match referee will now send their report to the DTMC and the Pakistan board on the match and the incident and it will subsequently decide whether there is ground for taking disciplinary action against the Karachi team or its players."