The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is considering pumping 200-degree steam to fix Lord’s pitch after an embarrassing start to the English summer. England captain Ben Stokes minced no words after the ENG vs NZ Lord’s Test lasted just 166 overs, the third shortest in history. England sealed a 115-run victory over New Zealand as bowlers dominated on a surface that had alarming variable bounce, making batting a nightmare. While Stokes was happy with the win, he was livid with the pitch. He labelled the surface as “not ideal” for the future of Test cricket, forcing the MCC to admit it must act quickly to restore the integrity of the pitch.
The MCC holds Test cricket at the highest level. But in its own backyard, the body miserably failed to hold that standard. In the ENG vs NZ Lord’s Test, a wicket fell every 24.9 balls, the quickest since 1907. Rain saved the MCC, the owners of the Lord’s, from further embarrassment. Without rain, the match would have concluded in just two days. Former England captain Nasser Hussain termed the Lord’s pitch “sub-standard”. The current captain, Ben Stokes, minced no words.
“From someone who loves Test cricket, is that something that will benefit Test cricket? I don’t think so. I get asked questions all the time about the longevity of this format. People even talk about saving Test cricket, which, for me, is a bit far. The game is played over five days, and without a little bit of weather, this wouldn’t have finished on day four. For someone who believes Test cricket should be the best format and should never disappear, that’s not ideal from that point of view,” England captain Ben Stokes told BBC Test Match Special.
A Lord’s record nobody wanted
The game was shaped by damp, grey conditions and a surface that offered batters almost nothing. There were sideways movements throughout the Test match. To make things worse for batters, there was an uneven bounce from the first ball. Out of the 40 wickets that fell in those 166 overs, 24 were either via bowled (13) or LBWs (11).
England wrapped it up before lunch on the fourth day. Without the rain breaks, it would probably have been done in two days. The speed of the Test left the ground with a string of unwanted entries in the record books:
| Stat | Record |
|---|---|
| Total overs | 166 |
| Lord’s history | Second-shortest Test to produce a result (of 150) |
| Across all grounds | Third-shortest Test anywhere where all 40 wickets fell |
| Spin bowled | None: the first time that’s happened in England since 1988 |
MCC admits mistakes amid widespread criticism
Following criticism from England’s former captains, including Nasser Hussain, Michael Atherton and Michael Vaughan, the MCC, which owns Lord’s, conceded the pitch wasn’t up to standard.
“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 Rob Lawson, MCC chief executive and secretary.
He added that the unusually hot and dry May, followed by a wet build-up to the ENG vs NZ Test match, impacted the Lord’s pitch.
Now, imagine that happening in parts of Asia. If spinners dominated proceedings in Ahmedabad, the same group at the MCC would have been lambasting, questioning the BCCI’s intent on supporting Test cricket. However, the MCC is just sorry, despite having eight months to prepare the pitch for the summer.
Unusual pitch fixing plans
Following the embarrassment of Lord’s, there have been calls to relay the pitch entirely, steamroll it or use drop-in pitches. The Lord’s will host some important matches in the coming days, including the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup league games and the final, England’s first women’s Test against India and India men’s tour of England matches in July.
The MCC says fixing the square is now its priority, but the plans are unusual. It will pump 200-degree steam seven inches into the turf, a method borrowed from Wimbledon’s All England Club. The MCC also plans to re-lay the main square and trial the drop-in pitches widely used in Australia. However, with important fixtures coming up, the MCC may not have enough time for a quick fix and could end up with further embarrassment.
