England captain Ben Stokes celebrating with teammates (AP Photo)

The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has acknowledged concerns over the Lord’s pitch used for the opening Test between England and New Zealand, admitting that the surface does not meet the standards expected at the iconic venue.Following England’s 115-run win on Sunday, the MCC issued a statement addressing the behavior of the pitch, which came under scrutiny for inconsistent bounce throughout the match.“We believe the pitch in this Test has shown more variable bounce than we would have liked.“We hold ourselves to the highest standards and are naturally disappointed when a surface falls short of those expectations.”The club emphasized that significant resources are devoted each year to preparing the playing surfaces at Lord’s. It pointed to ongoing investment in pitch maintenance, research and specialist expertise with the aim of creating balanced conditions for both batsmen and bowlers.“MCC makes significant investment each year in preparation for the main infield at Lord’s, as well as in research, technology and expertise, with the aim of producing pitches that provide a fair and consistent contest between bat and ball.”The statement also highlighted the weather-related challenges faced by the groundstaff in preparation for the match. According to the MCC, unusually hot and dry conditions during May were followed by wet weather at the close of the Test, which led to complications during pitch preparation.“Unusually hot and dry weather during May, followed by wet conditions before the match, presented many challenges in pitch preparation.”Acknowledging the issues, the MCC said it is already focusing on making improvements and implementing plans outlined in its recently released cricket strategy.“However, we fully understand the need to act quickly. We will remain fully focused on implementing all aspects of the pitch development and improvements outlined in our recently published MCC Cricket Strategy 2026-29.”The pitch proved to be extremely favorable for seam bowling throughout the match. England won by 115 runs on the fourth morning after bowling out New Zealand for 138 while defending a target of 254.New Zealand started the fourth day at 55/5, but lost the rest of their wickets in 40.3 overs. Gus Atkinson starred with career best figures of 5/30, while Ollie Robinson and passion tongue Took two wickets each. devon conway Highest score was 41 runs, while Glenn Phillips remained unbeaten after scoring 44 runs.The fast bowlers dominated the match from beginning to end and only 166 overs were needed in four innings to get the result. After being bowled out for 140 in their first innings despite Harry Brook making 56, England responded strongly and bowled out New Zealand for 113 on the back of Robinson’s 5/39 to take a lead of 27 runs.After this, England scored 226 runs in its second innings thanks to 57 runs by Emilio Gay and 39 runs by Jamie Smith. Although Nathan Smith claimed career-best figures of 6/70, the hosts set New Zealand a challenging target which ultimately proved beyond reach.Robinson’s five-wicket haul in the first innings earned him the player of the match award as England took a 1–0 lead in the three-Test series. The teams will now go to The Oval for the second Test, which will start from June 17.