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

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This video can not be played Figure caption, 17 wickets fall as England take control on another action-packed day By Sam Drury BBC Sport journalist at Lord's Published 35 minutes ago Michael Vaughan said he "feels sorry" for batters over the state of the Lord's pitch after 33 wickets fell on the opening two days of the first Test between England and New Zealand. The visitors closed the second day on 36-3 in pursuit of 254, leaving Ben Stokes' side seven wickets from victory. But while England will be confident of securing a morale-boosting win after their Ashes debacle in Australia over the winter, a number of former players have criticised the surface at the home of cricket. Sixteen wickets fell on a rain-shortened first day, with a further 17 in 79 overs on day two as batters struggled to deal with the variable bounce and considerable lateral movement off the pitch. "It's not a test for the bowlers, because it has been too easy. This isn't a fair balance between bat and ball," former England captain Vaughan told BBC Test Match Special. "The MCC [Marylebone Cricket Club] know this pitch isn't up to standard. "I feel sorry for the batters. This is the best place to play cricket. I feel very fortunate that I didn't have to bat on many pitches like this." New Zealand still need another 218 runs to win and unless conditions change dramatically, that looks a daunting task. "England will be thinking they need to keep it very simple," Vaughan added. "It's not a challenge for the bowlers – they just need to run up and hit a length. You know the pitch will do the rest. "That's not Test cricket, that is not skill. That's not testing physicality or skillset. "Bowlers have had a week when they've had plenty in their favour. New Zealand have to work out the best way to get 218 runs. I would say: swinging. "We've just [seen] Kane Williamson, one of the great technicians, the ball thudded into his back pad. There was nothing he could do about that. "If I'm watching that from the New Zealand dressing room, I'm not allowing that to happen. I'm going to go out and play a few shots." The MCC have offered no comment. England have huge chance amid more Lord's chaos Published 2 hours ago 'Dig it up and start again' - does the square need replacing? To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. This video can not be played Figure caption, Vaughan explains why wickets are falling at Lord's 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 ank