PCB hires Australian curator to improve pitches

Tony Hemming has been appointed as the new head curator on a two-year contract by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

To assume his role, the Western Australian will arrive in Lahore on Wednesday.

One of Hemming’s immediate tasks will be to prepare pitches for the upcoming five ICC World Test Championship matches against Bangladesh (two in August/September) and England (three in October).

He will also oversee pitch preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which Pakistan will host from February 19 to March 9 .

Moreover, he is a highly respected curator with nearly four decades of experience. He has worked at various iconic cricket grounds in Australia, including Melbourne, Perth and Tasmania, as well as in countries such as Bangladesh, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where he was the ICC’s Head Curator from 2007 to 2017 in Dubai.

During his time with the ICC, he also oversaw pitch preparation at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, which was one of Pakistan’s home venues between 2009 and 2019.

It must be noted Hemming replaced Zahid, who started his career by joining the Chairman PCB Curators Committee in 2001. Zahid was later appointed as the Chief Curator in 2004. He resigned from this role back in 2020 but was reappointed by former PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja in 2021.