ICC changes WTC 2027 final venue for this reason……

WTC final to be shifted: The England vs New Zealand 1st Test match at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground, London, saw a poor pitch where 40 wickets fell in the space of 996 balls, making it the shortest completed Test at Lord’s in almost 140 years. In the 150th Test match held at this historic venue, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) pitch curator was criticised for the pitch.

Among those 40 wickets, 24 wickets were bowled, and the International Cricket Council (ICC) and match referee Andy Pycroft deemed the pitch unsatisfactory. A wicket fell every 24.9 balls in a bowler-dominated game. This was a graveyard for the batters as only two batters scored a half century, with debutant Emilio Gay scoring 54 runs and Harry Brook in the first innings.

WTC final to be shifted?

Now, after the poor pitch quality, the ICC is planning to shift the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-2027 final from Lord’s to the Kia Oval. Many former cricketers and commentators slammed the pitch after England won the match by 115 runs, and no team could go past the score of 250 runs in four innings.

England is set to host the final for the fourth time. Previously in the WTC 2023-2025 cycle, the final was held at Lord’s with South Africa earning their maiden WTC title by beating Australia in the final by 5 wickets, with Aiden Markram winning the Player of the Match award for his excellent innings of 136 runs. As a result, the home of cricket was supposed to host the match in 2027.

Why can’t Lord’s host the final?

As per the recent reports from the Telegraph, the match will be shifted from London to the Oval, due to concerns about the Lord’s pitch. The final decisions are yet to be made, but they will be made within the next month, with the program for next summer to be released shortly.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has the rights to hold the WTC final till the 2031. The ICC has handed the rights to the England Board and has mentioned that the ICC wants the match to be hosted in London. Previously, the three finals were held at Southampton’s Utilita Bowl in 2021, during the COVID-19 bubble, followed by the Oval in 2023 and then Lord’s in 2025.

Lord’s pitch curators in trouble

This year, Lord’s will host three Tests this year (two men’s and the first women’s Test at the venue), as well as Women’s World Cup events, including the Final. With a packed schedule, preparing the pitch for groundsman Karl McDermott and his team has been a challenge. It will be interesting to watch if the final shifts.

An MCC spokesman told Telegraph Sport: “We are working collaboratively with ECB and no decision on next year’s fixture list has yet been taken. Last year’s WTCF at Lord’s was a great success on many levels, not least the sell-out crowd and included a rating of ‘very good’ for the Lord’s pitch.”