Lord's Cricket Ground ko duniya 'Home of Cricket' ke naam se jaanti hai, par jab wahan ki pitch hi ghatiya nikal jaye toh reputation ka kachra hona lazmi hai. June mein jab England vs New Zealand ka muqabla hua, toh Pitch 9 ne batting ka shamshan bana diya tha. ICC ne ise pehla demerit point kya diya, MCC ki neend hi ud gayi. Ab khabar ye hai ki is unsatisfactory pitch ko poori tarah se ukhad diya gaya hai aur ye agle do-teen saalon tak kisi kaam ki nahi rahegi.
To Hua esa hai ki:
June mein huye England vs New Zealand Test match ke dauran Pitch 9 ka vyavhaar itna ajeeb tha ki match referee Andy Pycroft ne ise unsatisfactory ki rating de di. Match mein itna excessive seam movement aur variable bounce tha ki batsmen ke paas koi jawab nahi tha. Is bezatti ke baad MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) ke chair Mark Nicholas ne ek seven-point action plan launch kiya hai. Groundstaff ne expert advice li hai aur ab Lord's ke itihaas ka sabse bada pitch review shuru ho gaya hai. Agle do saalon tak is strip par koi match nahi khela jayega taaki ise phir se layak banaya ja sake.
Analysis & Numbers
- Test match mein kul 40 wickets gire aur wo bhi sirf 166 overs ke andar, jo pitch ki kharab quality ka saboot hai.
- In 40 dismissals mein se 24 wickets ya toh bowled huye ya phir LBW, jo dikhata hai ki bounce kitna un-predictable tha.
- MCC ab Hybrid Pitches (95% natural turf aur 5% synthetic) ka istemal badhane wali hai taaki pitches par pressure kam kiya ja sake.
- Pehli baar Lord's mein permanent drop-in pitches lane ki taiyari hai, jinhe 2028 tak main square par laya jayega.
- Agle saal Lord's mein England vs Bangladesh aur England vs Australia ke Tests hone hain, par WTC Final ki hosting ICC ne The Oval ko de di hai.
The Guru Gyan Verdict:
Jab India mein pitches thodi bhi turn hoti hain, toh English media aur unke purane players rona shuru kar dete hain. Ab jab Lord's ki pitch unsatisfactory nikli aur ICC ne demerit point thama diya, toh saara guman mitti mein mil gaya. Ye MCC ka ek desperate attempt hai apni khoyi hui izzat bachane ka. 'Home of Cricket' kehne se kaam nahi chalta, pitches bhi international standard ki honi chahiye. Pitch 9 ko khodna toh sirf shuruaat hai, asli imtihaan tab hoga jab Ashes ke waqt ye log ek balanced wicket de payenge.
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