Vaughan 'feels sorry' for batters on poor Lord's pitch

This is not the first time in recent years that a Lord's pitch has been questioned. Questions were also raised during the 2025 World Test Championship final after 14 wickets fell on each of the first two days. By contrast, just a month later England and India played out a thrilling Test that went five days, but this year's pitch could lead to the match finishing inside three days. The batters' struggles were exemplified by a delivery from New Zealand seamer Matt Henry that barely bounced above ankle height and cannoned into the stumps, giving England's Jacob Bethell's no chance. "This is a really poor pitch. This is not the standard of pitch you'd expect for a Lord's Test, and they've got to do something about it," BBC chief cricket commentator Jonathan Agnew said. "You can't keep playing on this particular strip and it will cost them a lot of money. "The bounce is uneven, there is too much seam movement. It is nipping quickly. That [Jacob] Bethell delivery was utterly unplayable. This is not a pitch that is good for Test cricket." Speaking on Sky Sports, former England captain Nasser Hussain added: "It has lacked pace but when it has got quicker, it starts misbehaving upwards. "As a batter, nothing is worse than up and down bounce. Then you've got to factor in the seam movement and the slope, batting becomes impossible. …