By Arjun 
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has conceded that the pitch for this year s first Test between England and New Zealand at Lord s fell short after there was much debate around how tough the surface had been.
It is one of the shortest matches in Lord’s history and came on the day where it marked the 150th men’s Test to be played at the iconic venue. Despite the match being interrupted by several rain breaks and pushing the contest into a fourth day, 167 overs across four innings were all that were needed before England declared as comfortable winners. It turned out to be the second-shortest men’s Test in history played at the iconic ground.
The reason for so much attention was that the behaviour of the pitch was inconsistent, especially when it came to bounce – which troubled batters throughout the match. It was a challenge to score in, teams managed just two half-tons between them. The erratic seam movement off the surface made large, bat heavily tilted contest and also raised questions over whether the wicket even offered a fair presentation between bat and ball.
In a reaction to the criticism, MCC chief executive and secretary Rob Lawson conceded the surface had failed to meet standards expected for one of world cricket’s premier venues. The club were clearly disappointed at the state of the playing surface and he added: “We have to act on it quickly.
Lawson told ESPNCricinfo: “The MCC prides itself on the best possible playing conditions and at times this thought Lord’s fell short of those standards. He promised players, fans and the general cricketing public that the club will properly assess what went wrong and take steps to improve future Test pitches.
England test head coach Brendon McCullum backed Root up, claiming the pitch ‘would’ve had everyone asking questions because the ball which are full and straight became very challenging’. His remarks reflected the qualms echoed by many observers, who repeatedly asked whether the general quality of playing conditions was up to par.
With more international fixtures to come at Lord’s the MCC must get confidence back into their pitches. The pledge to move fast follows the clubs intention to leading that upcoming matches should be a more even battle and contest worthy of crickets most iconic