THE 2027 World Test Championship final could be MOVED to a different UK venue due to concerns over the quality of the Lord’s pitch.
England will host the showpiece final for the fourth time next June.
The 2027 World Test Championship final could be moved from Lord’s Credit: Alamy
It’s claimed the venue could change due to the pitch condition Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
Lord’s hosted the event last summer as South Africa beat Australia.
The venue was also slated to host it next year, but that could now change.
The Telegraph reports that it could now be moved to The Oval.
Concerns have allegedly arisen over the unsatisfactory state of the cricket pitch.
Despite the rumours, a final decision is yet to be made.
Talks are set to take place next month, with the schedule to be announced soon.
Lord’s hosted the earlier this month, which lasted just 166 overs.
The match referee officially rated the pitch “unsatisfactory” – meaning Lord’s received its first demerit point under the International Cricket Council’s grading system.
The event could be moved to The Oval Credit: Alamy
captain was critical of the surface and said: “The game is played over five days.
“Without the weather, it wouldn’t even have finished on day four. As someone who believes Test cricket is the best format and should never disappear, that [pitch] is not ideal.
“When you see extreme conditions like that, that’s not going to help the game in the future.
“If you buy tickets to day one, you’ve had a great day. Might wake up with a sore head because it’s so exciting. But if the game is done [early] that is not good for Test cricket. It is played over five days.
“You want cricket to be played over as much of that time as possible. Without rain, that is probably not going to happen this week.
“From someone who loves Test cricket, is that something that will benefit Test cricket? I don’t think so but nobody’s doing it on purpose. It’s a tough job to be a groundsman.”
The ICC has awarded England hosting rights for the next three finals until 2031.
It has also specified that it wants each of them to be held in London.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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