ICC Rates Lord's and Gaddafi Stadium Pitches Unsatisfactory

Overview

• The International Cricket Council has judged the playing surfaces at Lord’s in London and Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore as 'unsatisfactory' and given each ground one demerit point under its Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process.
• Match referee Andy Pycroft reported that Lord’s produced excessive seam movement, variable and very low bounce that heavily favoured bowlers and contributed to 33 wickets falling across the first two days of the Test.
• Match referee Graeme La Brooy said the Gaddafi surface was unusually slow and low, aided spin from an early stage, and made scoring runs difficult in the third Pakistan–Australia ODI.
• The ICC has forwarded the match-referee reports to the England and Wales Cricket Board and the Pakistan Cricket Board for review, and venue custodians have been signalled to undertake remedial work or pursue the process’s appeal options.
• Demerit points accumulate on a rolling basis and three points can mark a ground unfit for international matches, a development that could affect future scheduling, ground staff practices, and match preparations for players and fans.