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Cricket PlayersMCC ‘frustrated’ with Lord's pitch after Ben Stokes hits out at playing surface: ‘Fell short of expectations’
The MCC accepted that the Lord's pitch was not upto scratch for the series opener between England and New Zealand.
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) accepted that the Lord's Cricket Ground's pitch for the first Test between England and New Zealand was not upto scratch after the game was won by the hosts on Sunday. The match ended up on Day 4, but one mustn't lose sight of the poor track, and one shouldn't forget that almost all of Day 3 was washed out due to rain at the home of cricket. The Lord's surface had plenty of variable bounce, with several balls shooting low and others hitting batters' bodies. 24 out of 40 dismissals were either bowled or lbw.
MCC, which owns and runs Lord's, has over the years invested heavily in attempts to improve the playing surfaces, including "steaming" the pitch and relaying the outfield this winter.
MCC accepted that they were “frustrated" by the Lord's pitch for the series opener between England and New Zealand after 40 wickets fell in 166 overs.
Also Read: Lord's 150th Test hit by major controversy after 35 wickets fall in 3 days: ‘Shocker, substandard pitch’
"We recognise that the pitch for this Test has shown more variable bounce than we would have wanted," Lawson said. “We hold ourselves to the highest standards and are naturally frustrated when a surface falls short of those expectations,” the MCC's chief executive, Rob Lawson, said in an official statement.
“MCC invests significantly each year in the preparation of the main square at Lord's as well as in research, technology and expertise aimed at producing pitches that provide a fair and consistent contest between bat and ball. The unusually dry and hot weather during May, followed by wetter conditions in the lead-up to the match, presented a number of challenges in preparing the pitch,” he added.
‘More attempts’
The MCC also said that attempts will continue to ensure compliance with the standards of the modern game, and that the body is focused on applying all aspects of pitch development.
“However, we fully recognise the need to act quickly. We will remain fully focused on applying all aspects of pitch development and improvement as outlined in our recently published MCC Cricket Strategy 2026-29,” Lawson said.
Earlier, England captain Ben Stokes had hit out at the surface, saying such “extreme conditions” would not help the future of Test cricket. “I get asked questions all the time about the longevity of this format. The game is played over five days. Without the weather, it wouldn't even have finished on day four. As someone who believes Test cricket should never disappear, an early finish is not ideal.”
“It is tough for groundsmen. They are not actively producing wickets that are tricky, with 16 wickets falling in a day [as happened one day one]. But I get asked all the time about what needs to happen, saving Test cricket and this, that and the other. When you see extreme conditions like that, that's not going to help the game in the future,” he added.
The Lord's pitch has been coming under intense criticism from the likes of Nasser Hussain, Mark Butcher, Michael Atherton and Michael Vaughan.
