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WTC final to be shifted: The first Test match between England and New Zealand at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground in London saw a poor pitch where 40 wickets fell in the space of 996 balls, making it the shortest completed Test at Lord’s in almost 140 years. The pitch curator of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) was criticized regarding the pitch in the 150th Test match played at this historic venue.
Of those 40 wickets, 24 were bowled and the pitch was deemed unsatisfactory by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and match referee Andy Pycroft. In a game dominated by the bowlers, one wicket fell every 24.9 balls. It was a graveyard for the batsmen as only two batsmen scored half-centuries, with Emilio Gay scoring 54 and Harry Brook scoring 54 in the first innings.
Will the WTC final shift?
Now, following poor pitch quality, the ICC is planning to shift the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-2027 final from Lord’s to Kia Oval. After England won the match by 115 runs, many former cricketers and commentators criticized the pitch and said that no team could go beyond the score of 250 runs in four innings.
England is set to host the final for the fourth time. Earlier in the WTC 2023-2025 cycle, the final was held at Lord’s, with South Africa defeating Australia by 5 wickets in the final to earn their first WTC title, with Aiden Markram winning the Player of the Match award for his excellent inning of 136 runs. As a result, the home of cricket had to host the match in 2027.
Why can’t Lord’s host the final?
According to a recent report in the Telegraph, the match will be shifted from London to The Oval due to concerns over the Lord’s pitch. Final decisions have yet to be taken, but they will be made within the next month, with the program for next summer being released shortly.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has the rights to organize the WTC final until 2031. The ICC has handed over the rights to the England Board and has said that the ICC wants the match to be hosted in London. Previously, the three finals were held at the Utility Bowl in Southampton in 2021 during the COVID-19 bubble, followed by The Oval in 2023 and then Lord’s in 2025.
Lord’s pitch curator in trouble!
This year, Lord’s will host Women’s World Cup events including three Tests (two men’s and the first women’s Test) as well as the final. With a busy schedule, preparing the pitch has been a challenge for groundsman Carl McDermott and his team. It will be interesting to see if the final change happens or not.
An MCC spokesperson told Telegraph Sport, “We are working closely with the ECB and no decisions have been made yet on next year’s fixture list. Last year’s WTCF at Lord’s was a huge success on many levels, not least the sell-out crowd and this included a ‘very good’ rating for the Lord’s pitch.”
