The MCC apologised for the quality of the Lord’s pitch on Sunday after winning England captain Ben Stokes said it was not helpful for the future of Test cricket.
Spanning just 166 overs, it was the third-shortest Test match in history when all 40 wickets have fallen, and drew criticism for its up and down nature and excessive seam movement. A wicket fell every 24.9 deliveries, the highest strike rate in a match here since 1907.
Such was the dominance of pace that Shoaib Bashir did not bowl a ball in the 115-run win – the first spin-less Test in this country for 38 years.
‘We recognise that the pitch for this Test has shown more variable bounce than we would have wanted. We hold ourselves to the highest standards and are naturally frustrated when a surface falls short of those expectations,’ said MCC chief executive Rob Lawson.
‘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 hot and dry weather during May, followed by wetter conditions in the lead-up to the match, presented a number of challenges in preparing the pitch.’
The MCC, the owners of Lord’s, have spent recent months devising a strategy for improving surfaces on what is the busiest ground in world cricket.
Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum enjoyed a much-needed win, yet the pitch was the main talking point after just 166 overs were bowled across the first Test
Earlier this year, Daily Mail Sport revealed MCC’s long-term plan to use drop-in pitches from 2029 onwards, but Lawson acknowledged ‘the need to act quickly,’ with two more Tests – Stokes’ team against Pakistan and England’s women against India – plus a women’s Twenty20 World Cup final scheduled for the ground over the next three months.
For this match, they ‘steamed’ the pitch in the same manner that Wimbledon does its premier tennis courts – eradicating pathogens and weeds below the surface to improve the grass quality above.
But batsmen struggled throughout, not helped by the atmospheric conditions that rendered floodlights necessary for long periods and left the surface damp, as the match proceeded in fast forward.
‘If you are there on day one, you have had a great time. Wickets falling, balls flying everywhere, because there is a lot on offer and helpful conditions for the bowlers, so batters feel they need to take a few more risks than they normally would,’ Stokes said.
‘With 16 wickets and 200 runs being scored, it’s a good day out. Especially if you are in hospitality and the alcohol is free.
‘But 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 is the best format and should never disappear, that is not ideal.’
New Zealand captain Tom Latham, whose side never recovered from being reduced to 29 for six in response to England’s 140 on day one, said: ‘We certainly didn’t think the wicket was going to play like that from a duration point of view.
‘There’s been under two full days of cricket played on that surface and saying that both teams had the same conditions pretty much throughout the whole test match.
‘It’s obviously a great week here at Lord’s and for it to play out like that is unfortunate.’
MCC insure against days being lost to wet weather, covering them for Saturday when spectators received a full refund for fewer than 15 overs being bowled and Sunday when a 50 per cent rebate was applied as New Zealand resumed on 55 for five, briefly rallied thanks to Glenn Phillips’ counter-attack but succumbed to defeat shortly before lunch.
