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FIFA World Cup 2026 scheduleLord's pitch rated 'unsatisfactory' after Blackcaps' first Test defeat vs England
Reuters • June 10th, 2026 7:13 am
Blackcaps snare a wicket in first test vs England | Photo: EPA
Lord's has been handed an "unsatisfactory" pitch rating for the first Test between England and the Blackcaps after the hosts sealed a 115-run win inside four days of a rain-hit, bowler-dominated match.
One demerit point, that will remain on record for five years, was imposed. Any venue accumulating six points over that period faces a one-year ban from hosting international matches.
The Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, used for the third ODI between Pakistan and Australia was given the same rating and punishment. Australia lost by four wickets after being dismissed for 157 on a square turner.
At Lord's England won a low-scoring contest on difficult batting surface. There was uneven bounce, which notably accounted for Jacob Bethell in the second innings, and prodigious sideways movement off the seam.
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"There was plenty of excessive seam movement throughout the Test and the ball also kept extremely low on several occasions," match referee Andy Pycroft Crowe said in a statement from the International Cricket Council on Tuesday.
"The bounce was variable throughout as 16 wickets fell on the first day and 17 on the second. There was simply an over-balance in favour of ball against bat caused by the pitch."
Marylebone Cricket Club, which owns the ground, attributed the pitch behaviour in part to weather conditions - a prolonged hot spell being followed by heavy rain leading up to the match - and apologised after what became the second-shortest completed Test at Lord's.
Lord's are planning to experiment with drop-in pitches with a view to playing Tests on them by 2029.
Match referee Graeme La Brooy said the Gaddafi pitch "was slow and low and made scoring runs very difficult. It did not suit a One Day International game. It helped spin very early and continued the same way throughout."
Both national governing bodies have 14 days to appeal against the sanction.
