Lord’s Cricket Ground is often called the Home of Cricket. It is where every cricketer dreams of playing and where the biggest matches are meant to belong. But two years after hosting the World Test Championship (WTC) final between Australia and South Africa, the iconic venue could be set to lose one of the most prestigious fixtures in world cricket.
According to a report in The Telegraph, the ICC and ECB are considering moving the 2027 World Test Championship final away from Lord’s and handing hosting duties to The Oval instead. While no final decision has been taken yet, discussions are understood to be at an advanced stage, with an announcement expected when England’s 2027 home schedule is finalised in the coming weeks. This is because ICC is unhappy with the quality of the pitch at Lord’s.
Lord’s pitch comes under scrutiny after England vs New Zealand Test
The noise accumulated following the recent England-New Zealand Test at Lord’s. Although rain stretched the match into a fourth day, only 166 overs were bowled across the entire contest, which converts to less than two full days of cricket.
The surface produced inconsistent bounce and proved extremely difficult for batters. Twenty-four of the 40 wickets fell either bowled or LBW, making it easy for the ICC match officials to officially rate the pitch as “unsatisfactory”. It was the first demerit point awarded to Lord’s under the ICC pitch-rating system.
Even England captain Ben Stokes was critical of the wicket, saying such “extreme conditions” were not ideal for the future of Test cricket.
The criticism did not stop there. MCC chairman Mark Nicholas later described the pitch as substandard. He acknowledged that the surface had fallen below expected standards. This was interesting, especially knowing that this came after several years of work aimed at making Lord’s pitches livelier and more result-orientated.
WTC Finals so far
| WTC Cycle | Venue | Winners | Runners-up | Winning Captain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–21 | Rose Bowl, Southampton | New Zealand | India | Kane Williamson |
| 2021–23 | The Oval, London | Australia | India | Pat Cummins |
| 2023–25 | Lord’s, London | South Africa | Australia | Temba Bavuma |
Kennington Oval likely to host WTC Final 2027
The ICC has awarded England hosting rights for the next three World Test Championship finals through 2031. However, the governing body has only specified that the match must be staged in London, leaving the final venue choice to the ECB and ICC jointly.
That opens the door for The Oval to host the 2027 final, just as it did in 2023 when Australia defeated India. Commercial factors prevented Lord’s from hosting that edition, while Southampton’s Utilita Bowl staged the inaugural final in 2021 during Covid restrictions.
If the switch happens, Lord’s would still host two men’s Tests in 2027, including an Ashes fixture. However, losing the WTC final would be a massive blow considering the venue’s aura and the success of the 2025 final, which attracted sell-out crowds and received a “very good” pitch rating.
“We are working collaboratively with ECB and no decision on next year’s fixture list has yet been taken. Last year’s WTC Final at Lord’s was a great success on many levels, not least the sell-out crowd and included a rating of ‘very good’ for the Lord’s pitch,” an MCC spokesman told Telegraph Sport.
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