ENG vs NZ: Lord's pitch used for 1st Test rated unsatisfactory by ICC

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rated the Lord’s pitch used for the first Test between England and New Zealand as ‘unsatisfactory’ and the venue has also received one demerit point under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process. It’s the first-ever such sanction that the historic venue has received.

England registered a 115-run victory in what was the second-shortest Test ever played at Lord’s, finishing within 166 overs. The surface caught everyone’s attention for its variable bounce from the first day itself, as a whopping 16 wickets fell on the opening day of the match, followed by another 17 on Day 2.

In his report, match referee Andy Pycroft acknowledged that there was excessive seam movement on all four days of the Test and the balance was heavily shifted in favour of the bowlers.

"There was plenty of excessive seam movement throughout the Test, and the ball also kept extremely low on several occasions. 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,” Pycroft said in a media release from the ICC.

The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) now has 14 days to appeal against the sanction. However, Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), which owns and runs Lord's, has already admitted that the pitch fell short of their expectations.

Lahore pitch also rated unsatisfactory

Meanwhile, the ICC has also given an ‘unsatisfactory' rating to the pitch used for the third ODI between Australia and Pakistan at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. During the game, Australia were bundled out for 157 in 42 overs, and Pakistan took 41.5 overs to chase down the target, eventually winning by four wickets.

In his report, Match referee Graeme La Brooy stated that the pitch was slow, which didn’t meet standards for an ODI fixture.

"The pitch was slow and low and made scoring runs very difficult. It did not suit a One Day International game as batters had to spend more time to settle in. It helped spin very early in the match and continued the same way throughout,” Brooy said in an ICC media release.