LONDON, June 9, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The Lord's pitch for the first Test between New Zealand and England has been rated as "unsatisfactory" by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Match referee Andy Pycroft deemed there was "excessive seam movement" and the "bounce was variable" throughout the match, the 150th Test staged at Lord's -- the most at any ground.

As a result, the London venue has been handed one demerit point.

"There was plenty of excessive seam movement throughout the Test, and the ball also kept extremely low on several occasions," said Pycroft.

"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."

The match, which England won by 115 runs to 1-0 up in a three-match series, was the second shortest completed Test, in terms of balls bowled, at Lord's.

Former England captains Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan criticised the pitch during the match, with current Test skipper Ben Stokes saying afterwards that such "extreme conditions" were "not good for Test cricket".

Marylebone Cricket Club, the owners of Lord's, apologised after the game, with MCC chairman Mark Nicholas, a former Hampshire captain, saying the pitch was "sub-standard" in an article written for The Times.

The ruling by Pycroft, a former Zimbabwe cricketer, did not go as far as classifying the pitch as "unfit", which would have earned Lord's, the self-styled 'Home of Cricket' three demerit points.

If a venue reaches six demerit points, which remain active for five years, it will be suspended from hosting an international game for a year. The punishment for 12 demerit points is a 24-month suspension.