'Not ideal': England win Test but skipper Ben Stokes isn't happy with Lord's pitch

England beat New Zealand by 115 runs in the first Test at Lord's on June 7, but the pitch used in the match did not amuse England skipper Ben Stokes. The Test, 150th at the Lord's, lasted just 166 completed overs making it the second shortest match at the ground with only 617 runs scored by both teams combined. The match would have gotten over on the second day itself after 16-wicket openig day had it not been for bad weather. Even in victory, England captain Ben Stokes was visibly unhappy, shaking his head after being dismissed for a three-ball duck in the second innings and far more vocal about the pitch after the win.

What did Ben Stokes say about the Lord's pitch?

England skipper Stokes did not mince his words after the match while speaking out against the Lord's pitch. Talking to the BBC, he acknowledged the win but acknowledged that the pitch won't do any good to Test cricket

"From someone who loves Test cricket, is that something that will benefit Test cricket? I don't think so," he said but noted that "nobody's doing it on purpose. It's a tough job to be a groundsman."

"I get asked a lot about the future of Test cricket, I get asked a lot about what we need to do to keep it growing, what we need to do to keep it such a strong format in the future. The game is played over five days and without a little bit of weather this wouldn't have finished on day four. For someone who believes Test cricket should be the best format and should never disappear, that's not ideal from that point of view."

The debate on bowler-assisting pitches in Test cricket

Stokes's comments have reignited a long-running debate about how much assistance pitches should offer to bowlers and where the line should be drawn. The teams have been preparing pitches which assist home bowlers to have an advantage with latest example being Pakistan. The Asian team prepared rank-turners for the three-ODI home series against Australia which they eventually won 2-1.

The game, however, does not benefit clearly with such pitches as they temper with the balance of bat and ball dominace and favour one or the other, leaving a loop-sided contest to be played.