Dubai, June 9, 2026: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rated the pitches at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London and Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium as “unsatisfactory” following recent international matches, awarding one demerit point to each venue under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process.
The sanctions relate to the first Test between England and New Zealand at Lord’s and the third One-Day International (ODI) between Pakistan and Australia at Gaddafi Stadium.
According to the ICC, match referees Andy Pycroft and Graeme La Brooy submitted reports raising concerns over the quality and balance of the playing surfaces used in the two matches.
For the Lord’s Test, Pycroft observed that the pitch offered excessive seam movement throughout the match, while also producing inconsistent bounce and deliveries that occasionally stayed unusually low. He noted that the conditions heavily favoured bowlers, contributing to the fall of 33 wickets in the opening two days of the Test.
“The pitch provided excessive assistance to seam bowlers for the duration of the match, with significant variation in bounce and pace,” the report indicated, highlighting concerns about the balance between bat and ball.
Meanwhile, La Brooy’s assessment of the Gaddafi Stadium surface described it as excessively slow and low for ODI cricket, making run-scoring difficult and forcing batters to spend considerable time adapting to the conditions.
He further noted that the pitch offered assistance to spin bowlers from an early stage and remained largely unchanged throughout the contest, resulting in conditions that did not meet the expected standards for one-day international cricket.
Under ICC regulations, venues accumulate demerit points for substandard pitches and outfields. Demerit points remain active for a rolling five-year period, with more severe sanctions imposed if a venue accumulates multiple points over time.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have both been formally notified of the findings. The two boards have 14 days to appeal the decision if they wish to challenge the assessment.
Neither Lord’s nor Gaddafi Stadium had any previous demerit points on their records, meaning this is the first penalty for both venues under the current monitoring system.
The ICC’s Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process is designed to ensure that international cricket is played on surfaces that provide a fair contest between bat and ball while maintaining player safety and the integrity of the game.
