Pitches

So lately I've been noticing an increasing trend in teams, officials, players blaming the pitch for wickets or lack thereof. After watching Younis and Azher batting today, I was struck dumb with a question and realization. Is the pitch really that big of a factor? Can good seam bowling (mixed with bad batting) make it look like a green top, when it really isn't? Could good batting (mixed with bad bowling) make it look like a flat deck? Maybe things don't follow the status quo, and it just comes down to sheer talent in the bowling and batting departments. I'm not saying the pitch has zero impact on the match, but I definitely think that cricketers read too much into it, and its the self-belief that counts, as Pakistan have shown this series.
As an example, you can look at the second test match. The spinners dominated, and made the ball grip, and turn, and bounce. The commentators said that the pitch condition favored spin, and that Junaid Khan's left handed bowling caused a rough patch that Rehman was utilizing. However, if you at the stats, J Khan barely bowled that entire match. I think Rehman was just bowling so brilliantly, that he made the pitch look like a turner.
Just food for thought.