Lord's 'unsatisfactory' pitch dug up by MCC after first demerit point

The Lord's pitch that was used for England's Test against New Zealand in June has been re-laid by the Marylebone Cricket Club and will be out of action for two or three years.

Pitch 9, one of five central strips at Lord's, was handed its first demerit point and deemed "unsatisfactory" by the ICC after match referee Andy Pycroft found excessive seam movement and inconsistent bounce during this summer's Test against the Kiwis.