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Karachi, Dec 3: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will be calling for the appointment of international panel of curators to prepare wickets globally.

In this context, the PCB technical committee headed by Zulfiqar Ahmad, has prepared a paper which will be submitted in February's International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting.

The PCB committee, in the recommendation document, has felt that it was time that identical pitches were prepared and the home team advantage to prepare wickets to suit them be taken away.

The committee observes that the standard of cricket was declining because of the variable difference between the behaviour of the wickets. It feels that slow and turning tracks were prepared in the subcontinent while hard and bouncy wickets were prepared in Australia, South Africa etc.

"It is time that there should be a uniform standard of pitches so give equal opportunity to the touring team," the committee feels.

However, the committee has rejected ICC proposal of having a stand-bye pitch. The ICC had sought suggestions after the fiasco in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1997-98 where the West Indies and England Test series opener was called off before the completion of first hour.

The PCB committee has also turned down ICC suggestion of having Tests players on newly laid tracks. The PCB committee, on the contrary, has said Tests should be played on pitches that are at least 18 months old and has produced positive results.

"Those wickets should be prepared under the supervision of an ICC representative (curator) so that best possible cricket can be played," the committee says in its suggestion. The ICC has also sought suggestions on having 14 teams in 2003 World Cup in South Africa. The PCB committee is still in the process of deliberations and have not finalized the paper.

However, on the ICC inquiry of having cricket played on reciprocal basis, the PCB committee feels that it would be appropriate and easier for the boards to directly finalize the programmes.

"There are countries which prefer to play long series like England hosting Pakistan for five Tests spanning over three months in 1992 and South Africa currently hosting England. But there are countries like Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka who can't host teams for such a long duration.

"So it would be better if the two boards arrange and finalize the tours rather than the ICC chalking out a programme for all the Test playing countries," the PCB committee observes in its report.

© Dawn