Nasser Hussain believes the Lord’s wicket is “substandard” and “not good enough” for Test cricket after 33 wickets fell inside two days during England’s first Test of the summer against New Zealand.Ben Stokes’ side left the visitors a target of 218 runs to win at the close of day two, as New Zealand bowler Nathan Smith utilised the uneven bounce to take six wickets for 70 runs.
At one stage during England’s second innings, the hosts lost four wickets in 11 deliveries, with all of Emilio Gay, Harry Brook, Joe Root and Stokes walking back to the pavilion in quick succession.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Highlights of day two of the first Test between England and New Zealand at Lord’s
During the off-season, grounds staff at Lord’s have been attempting to revitalise the pitch by relaying the outfield and blowing 200°C steam onto the wicket.The steaming process was utilised to kill off pathogens and revitalise the soil under the square.
However, the wicket has played slow and caused the ball to move sideways, with England’s bowlers utilising the bounce to leave New Zealand scrambling at stumps on day two, with 36 runs for a loss of three wickets.
CricViz reports the Inconsistency Rating for the Lord’s Test so far sits at 7.5 out of 10, the highest for a Test match in England.
“High-quality bowling is on display from both teams, but it’s on a substandard pitch – and it has been for quite some time,” Hussain told Sky Sports.”This famous old ground is hosting its 150th Test match and is scheduled to stage three Tests this year.
Spotify
This content is provided by Spotify, which may be using cookies and other technologies.
To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies.
You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Spotify cookies or to allow those cookies just once.
You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options.
Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Spotify cookies.
To view this content you can use the button below to allow Spotify cookies for this session only.
…
2026-06-05 19:47:00
