Lord's Pitch 9 Ripped Out After Cricket's First Demerit Point

Dr. Annelies De Vos · 2026-10-15

Lord's has done something it's never had to do in its long, proud history. The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has torn up and relaid Pitch 9 after the ICC handed the famous ground its first-ever demerit point for an unsatisfactory Test surface. The rebuilt strip will sit out of action for the next two or three seasons. That's a big deal for a venue that considers itself the home of cricket. So what exactly went wrong, and what is MCC doing about it? ### Why the ICC Marked the Lord's Pitch Unsatisfactory Match referee Andy Pycroft issued the rating after England beat New Zealand in the first Test in early June. His report pointed to two main problems: too much seam movement and unpredictable bounce. The numbers tell the story. The surface produced 40 wickets in just 166 overs. Bowlers either bowled the batters or trapped them LBW for 24 of those dismissals. Several deliveries also stayed dangerously low, including the ball that dismissed Jacob Bethell on the second day. Pitch 9 is one of five central strips used for international matches at Lord's. Before this Test, the ground had never received a single demerit point. That clean record is now gone. ### A Seven-Point Plan and a Full Review of the Square MCC chair Mark Nicholas didn't waste any time. He drew up a seven-point action plan right after the match. Rob Lynch, the club's director of cricket and operations, along with the ground staff, has since brought in outside experts and commissioned data analysis as part of a wider review of the square and how pitches are prepared. Rebuilding Pitch 9 began earlier this month. In an email to members on Wednesday, Nicholas said the project would "ensure that the club prepares pitches worthy of the ground's reputation." He also warned members to brace for scheduling headaches over the coming years. One idea reportedly on the table is a longer lead-in period before major events like Ashes Tests, giving ground staff more time to work on the surfaces. Some smaller recreational fixtures could shift to Sir Paul Getty's Ground at Wormsley, which MCC plans to use as a partner venue after a pilot programme this summer. The club hasn't confirmed the details yet. ### Hybrid and Drop-In Pitches Enter the Long Game MCC is betting on two newer technologies going forward: hybrid pitches and permanent drop-in pitches. A third hybrid strip is set to be installed in the spring. It's made of 95% natural turf and just 5% synthetic fibre. Nicholas believes using these surfaces efficiently will ease the pressure created by losing Pitch 9. Here's the catch: the ICC doesn't currently allow hybrid pitches in Test matches. Limited-overs internationals can use them, but only if both teams and the ICC agree. They're already common in English domestic cricket, and many believe they play more consistently and recover faster between matches. The club is also building its first three drop-in trays. The first will move to the main square in 2028 after spending time on the nursery ground. Unlike the seasonal drop-ins used at multi-purpose grounds in Australia, MCC intends to keep these in place long term. ### What's Next for Lord's Lord's hosts two men's Tests a year under an agreement that runs until 2031. Next summer brings England against Bangladesh from May 28 to June 1, then England against Australia from June 30 to July 4. Notably, the ICC picked The Oval, not Lord's, to host the 2027 World Test Championship final. It's not all bad news, though. The other two Tests at Lord's this season, England women against India and England men against Pakistan, both earned satisfactory ratings. The four limited-overs internationals, which included three women's T20 World Cup matchdays and an England men's ODI against India, received very good ratings. So the problem seems contained to one strip rather than the whole square. Still, for a ground with Lord's reputation, one demerit point is one too many. The next couple of seasons will show whether the rebuild and the new approach actually deliver pitches worthy of the name.