India, June 8 -- The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) accepted that the Lord's Cricket Ground's pitch for the first Test between England and New Zealand was not upto scratch after the game was won by the hosts on Sunday. The match ended up on Day 4, but one mustn't lose sight of the poor track, and one shouldn't forget that almost all of Day 3 was washed out due to rain at the home of cricket. The Lord's surface had plenty of variable bounce, with several balls shooting low and others hitting batters' bodies. 24 out of 40 dismissals were either bowled or lbw.

MCC, which owns and runs Lord's, has over the years invested heavily in attempts to improve the playing surfaces, including "steaming" the pitch and relaying the outfield this winter....