Sophia Gardens�.. head groundsman Len Smith believes his pitch for the forthcoming England v Pakistan one-day international will finally shake off Cardiff�..s reputation for
hopelessly benign surfaces. �..People like Jonathan Agnew on Test Match Special still talk about �..slow and low Cardiff�..,�.� Smith says, �..but the Test pitch produces very good carry.�.� He is talking about his beloved Pitch No. 9, earmarked for both the August 30 one-dayer and Cardiff�..s first Test match, during the 2009 Ashes. �..The negative comments about Cardiff hosting a Test have quite upset me. If the square is good enough, which it is, why shouldn�..t it have a Test match?�.� Ultimately money talked when the ECB awarded Cardiff the Ashes game but Smith believes he played a part. �..I just piped up and told them: �..I�..d absolutely love to produce a Test match pitch at Sophia Gardens.�.. It wasn�..t meant as a crawling remark. I meant it from the heart. Afterwards I did regret sounding off but I�..d like to think it made an impression.�.�
Robert Thomas, The Wisden Cricketer