Lord’s and Gaddafi Stadium pitches rated as unsatisfactory

The pitches used for the first Test between England and New Zealand at Lord’s in London and the third ODI between Pakistan and Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore have been rated as “unsatisfactory” under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process.

The two venues have been handed one demerit point each after match referees Andy Pycroft (Lord’s) and Graeme La Brooy (Gaddafi Stadium) submitted their respective reports, highlighting concerns raised by match officials and captains.

Pycroft said the Lord’s pitch offered excessive seam movement throughout the Test and the ball also stayed extremely low on several occasions, resulting in variable bounce. “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,” he said.

“There was simply an over-balance in favour of ball against bat caused by the pitch,” Pycroft said about the Lord’s pitch.

England defeated New Zealand by 115 runs on Day 4 of the first Test match at Lord’s. Set a target of 254 runs to win, the tourists were bowled out for 138 in their second innings, giving England a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

On the Gaddafi Stadium surface, La Brooy said the pitch was slow and low, making it difficult for batters to score runs and unsuitable for a One-Day International. “It did not suit an ODI 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,” La Brooy said. The reports have been forwarded to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), who have 14 days to appeal against the sanctions.

Neither Lord’s nor Gaddafi Stadium had any previous demerit points.

As per ICC regulations, a venue receives one demerit point if a pitch is rated “unsatisfactory” and three points if it is rated “unfit”. The points remain active for a five-year rolling period.

A venue accumulating six demerit points is suspended from hosting international cricket for 12 months, while reaching 12 demerit points results in a 24-month suspension.