Lord's pitch rated 'unsatisfactory' by ICC

Lord's pitch rated 'unsatisfactory' by ICCTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedFigure caption, Analysis - Alison Mitchell, Michael Vaughan and Phil Tufnell discuss Lord's pitchByMatthew HenryBBC Sport JournalistPublished5 minutes ago3 CommentsThe Lord's pitch for the first Test between England and New Zealand has been rated as "unsatisfactory" by the International Cricket Council, with the historic venue also given one demerit point.England completed a 115-run win on Sunday but the surface was incredibly difficult for batting. The match would have been over inside two days if not for bad weather. The "unsatisfactory" rating is the second lowest grading available to the ICC, beaten only by "unfit".As Lord's does not have any previous demerit points on its record it is not at risk of any further immediate punishment from the world's governing body."There was plenty of excessive seam movement throughout the Test and the ball also kept extremely low on several occasions," match referee Andy Pycroft said."The bounce was variable throughout as 16 wickets fell on the first day and 17 on the second. "There was simply an over-balance in favour of ball against bat caused by the pitch."What are the ICC pitch ratings and how does the system work?Published4 minutes agoStokes & Atkinson investigated over nightclub incidentPublished18 hours agoLord's pitch does not benefit Test format - StokesPublished1 day agoThe Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), owners of Lord's, admitted the surface had fallen short of expectations in a statement after the Test, while England captain Ben Stokes said such surfaces are not helpful for the future of the game's longest format.The Test lasted 166 overs, making it the second-shortest to produce a positive result in the 150 matches held at Lord's. It was the third-shortest at any ground...