England vs New Zealand: MCC apologises for condition of Lord's pitch following second shortest Test match in ground's history

The MCC has apologised for the condition of the Lord's pitch and says it will "act quickly" to rectify the issue after receiving criticism for the wicket's uneven bounce during England’s 115-run victory against New Zealand.

Lord's 150th Test match was the ground's second shortest on record, lasting 165 overs in total. Thirty-three wickets fell inside the first two days, while 17 of those came on day two, with New Zealand's Nathan Smith taking a six-wicket haul.

Batters on both sides struggled to score, with England's Harry Brook and Emilio Gay the only two players to bring up half-centuries.

In a statement released after Ben Stokes' side took a 1-0 lead in the series, an MCC spokesperson said: "We recognise 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."

MCC grounds staff have worked hard in the off-season to try and bring the pitch up to Test standard, relaying the outfield and even blowing 200°C steam on the wicket, in a bid to kill pathogens in the soil.

They had hoped the measures would revitalise the ageing wicket, but concerns have been raised that the wicket was not conducive to the Test format.

"The MCC invests significantly each year in the preparation of the main square at Lord's, as well as in research, technology and expertise aimed at producing pitches that provide a fair and consistent contest between bat and ball," its statement continued.

"The unusually hot and dry weather during May, followed by wetter conditions in the lead up to the match, presented a number of challenges in preparing the pitch.

"However, we fully recognise the need to act quickly. We will remain fully focused on applying all aspects of pitch development as outlined in our recently published MCC Cricket Strategy 2026-29."

After his side bowled New Zealand out for 138 runs on day four, Stokes expressed concerns the condition of the pitch would not help Test cricket boost its claim as the best format.

"It's tough for grounds staff, they're not actively coming out there and producing wickets that are tricky, and 16 wickets are falling on the day," the England captain said.

"I get asked all the time about what needs to happen regarding saving Test cricket. But when you see extreme conditions like that, that's not going to help the game in the future, I don't think.

"But we won the game, we had to come up with a way as a team to do that, and we did it."

Stokes agreed there is entertainment value in seeing wickets tumble, but as a traditionalist of the game, he added it was not good to see the game being wrapped up in 165 overs.

"I think there are two ways to look at it. For me, the reason Test cricket is the best format is it presents its own challenges from one week to the next.

"This week, we were presented with conditions that were difficult, but we were playing against another team that were faced with the exact same conditions.

"I thought the way we identified the conditions quickly and committed to what we thought we needed to do as a team to give ourselves the best chance of winning that game was very impressive.

"From a non-playing point of view, if you're there on day one, you've had a great time. You've seen wickets falling, you've seen balls flying off everywhere because there's a lot on offer and helpful conditions for bowling. Batters feel like they need to take a few more risks than they normally would.

"But the game is played over five days. Without a little bit of weather, it probably wouldn't have finished on day four, so as someone who believes Test cricket always will be the best format and should never disappear, that's not ideal.

"From a playing point of view and being in the dressing room, it's great that you get challenged. We might have conditions that are completely different next week, and we'll have to do the exact same thing, which is assess those conditions quickly and come up with a plan as a team to execute plans and a way of playing that we feel is going to give us the best chance of winning."