ENGLAND CREATE TEST HISTORY AS MCC RELEASE STATEMENT ABOUT DANGEROUS LORD'S PITCH

 

England and New Zealand created a new piece of Test history at Lord's during the first of their three-match series.

As the home of cricket celebrated its 150th Test, there were a combined 24 dismissals via bowled and LBWs in English Test history.

England's Ollie Robinson was awarded Man of the Match after a stunning return to the England teamCredit: Getty

It was also the second-shortest Test match ever held at Lord's by the number of overs.

And after the Test, the MCC have issued a statement in which they apologised for the pitch's condition.

166 overs were bowled across three days and a bit, which works out as fewer than two full days of cricket.

And of all Tests to be played with all 40 wickets being taken, this was the third-shortest, with the other two being in 1888 and 1907.

Only two players scored 50s, and they were both English.

In the first innings, Harry Brook scored 56 as England made just 140.

But it proved to be equally difficult for the Black Caps to bat as well as they made just 113.

And Emilio Gay on his Test debut scored 57 to give England a big lead and a difficult target for New Zealand to chase, which they couldn't.

The visitors needed 254 to win and were bowled out for just 138, with bowlers well on top.

There wasn't a single over of spin bowled as the seamers totally dominated due to a friendly pitch and overhead conditions.

Ahead of the Test, the Lord's ground staff made a conscious effort to create a livelier pitch after years of slow ones at the home of cricket.

Robinson was named player-of-the-match on his England returnCredit: Getty

There was even a new method used of steaming, which is something that happens at Wimbledon, but it was too much in the end.

In a statement from the MCC, they said: "We recognise that the pitch for this Test has shown more variable bounce than we would have wanted.

"We hold ourselves to the highest standards and are naturally frustrated when a surface falls short of those expectations.

“MCC invests significantly each year in the preparation of the Main Square at Lord’s, as well as in research, technology and expertise aimed at producing pitches that provide a fair and consistent contest between bat and ball.

"The unusually hot and dry weather during May, followed by wetter conditions in the lead-up to the match, presented a number of challenges in preparing the pitch.

“However, we fully recognise the need to act quickly. We will remain fully focused on applying all aspects of pitch development and improvement as outlined in our recently published MCC Cricket Strategy 2026-29.”

And speaking on talkSPORT's exclusive international commentary, ex-New Zealand star Jeremy Coney wasn't happy with the pitch.

He said: "No spinner has bowled a ball in this Test match and that was because of the movement up and down, variable bounce and seam movement.

"It was hard batting conditions and no one was really able to conqueror it.

"It worked out as a wicket every four overs, and of the 20 New Zealand lost, 14 of them were either LBW or bowled."

Speaking about it later on in the broadcast, he said: "The groundstaff aren't trying to produce a bad pitch.

"But if you are going to use a new method, test it out somewhere else first.

"Whatever they did, the result is unfortunate. It has produced a lopsided game.

"It was weighted too heavily on one side.

"No one wants to see weighted too heavily on the batting side either."

And England legend Steve Harmison also felt it was too favourable to the bowlers.

He also had his say after Tom Latham's speech.

"Tom has decided not to say anything there, but the head coach should come out.

"New Zealand's head coach should come out strong because they've got to condemn this pitch.

"This is one of the most iconic cricket grounds in the world, and year upon year, we seem to be getting a poor pitch.

"We have to do something about it, and the only way we can do something about is to talk about it in the right way.

"It has been sub-standard, and you have to call it as it is.

"The pitch was poor last year, and this year, it was actually a danger to the players, and that is the final straw."

There four five-fors across the Test, showing just how much the ball dominatedCredit: Getty

Big positive

England needed to win, and they did, and the return of Robinson from the cold was huge.

The Sussex bowler hadn't played for England since 2024 due to concerns over his fitness and form, and it had looked as if his Test career was over.

But a brilliant start to the County Championship season saw him earn a shot in the Test team, and he claimed seven wickets across the two innings, including three in an over to put England in charge.

And after the first day, it was all a bit too much for his wife, who was very emotional.

Robinson will now look to cement his place in the team and ensure this isn't just a brief spell.

- Jack Cunningham

WHY THIS IS THE PREMIER LEAGUE'S QUIETEST BOXING DAY EVER

Soccer on Boxing Day, also known as St. Stephen's Day, usually marks the start of a congested fixture list over the Christmas and New Year period. It is a tradition as old as English football itself, dating back to the first top-flight season in 1888 -- but when Manchester United play Newcastle at Old Trafford on Dec. 26, it will be the only Premier League game maintaining the ritual of Boxing Day fixtures in England.

Historically, the post-Christmas glut of games has been a time when coaches complained about the workload and lack of recovery time for players. Frank Lampard said it was "counterproductive for the quality of the Premier League" when his Chelsea side had to play Arsenal then Aston Villa on Dec 26. and Dec. 28 in 2020.

But it's easy to see why the tradition persisted: Many clubs have recorded their biggest attendance of the season on Boxing Day due to fans taking advantage of the holiday to escape family gatherings and watch their team play.

Yet with the global football calendar becoming increasingly congested due to the expansion of European club competitions and the emergence of the FIFA Club World Cup, which was staged for the first time in the United States this summer, the Premier League has chosen to schedule Matchweek 18 of this season's fixture list over three days rather than cramming them all into Dec. 26.

So, how has it come to this, with one of the biggest dates in the English football calendar having just one Premier League game on the schedule?

Has the Premier League ever lacked a full slate of games on Boxing Day?

There has always been Premier League play on Boxing Day, but never just one game.

Top-flight games in general have been played on Boxing Day ever since Preston North End's 5-0 win at West Bromwich Albion in December 1888 -- a long tradition that has seen a few exceptions in 1948, 1954, 1965, 1971 and 1976, when no top-flight Boxing Day games happened in those years.

But this year will see the fewest top-flight games on Boxing Day since 1982, when there were no top-division fixtures due to Dec. 26 falling on a Sunday. At the time, tradition was that when Boxing Day fell on a weekend, the occasion would be held for the next weekday, but that tradition has faded and Boxing Day games have since been played on a Sunday if Dec. 26 falls on that day.

Has Boxing Day been a good fixture for classic games?

Nothing quite beats the incredible results on Boxing Day 1963, when 66 goals were scored across 10 games, including a 10-1 Fulham win against Leicester and 6-1 win for Burnley against Manchester United.

But in the Premier League era, a Thierry Henry hat trick helped Arsenal to a 6-1 win against Leicester in 2000, and Southampton beat the Gunners 4-0 in 2015.

Chelsea and Aston Villa played out a 4-4 thriller at Stamford Bridge in 2007, and Manchester United fought back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 at Sheffield Wednesday with an Eric Cantona equalizer in 1992.

United have the best record on Boxing Day both in the Premier League and historically, with 22 wins in the Premier League era and 54 wins overall.

What does the Premier League say about this year's fixture list?

The Premier League blamed the global fixture calendar for its decision to stage only one game on Boxing Day when it announced the Christmas schedule in October.

"The Premier League would like to acknowledge the circumstances that have led to a reduced number of matches on Boxing Day this season -- impacting an important tradition in English football," the league said in a statement.

"There are now several challenges to Premier League fixture scheduling rooted in the expansion of European club competitions -- which led to a revision of our domestic calendar ahead of last season, including changes to the FA Cup.

"This ultimately left the Premier League as a 33-weekend competition -- fewer than previous seasons, despite being a 380-match competition since 1995. With fewer weekends to work with, the League is bound by how the calendar falls."

So why is spreading games over three days better for congestion than all on Boxing Day?

Nobody has given a logical answer to this question.

The Premier League's explanation is that it needs to spread the games out to allow for players to have sufficient rest periods between matchdays.

"As with previous years, and in keeping with our commitment to clubs, special arrangements have been made to allow more time between games played across the festive period," the league said in a statement. "This will allow greater time for players to recover with the rest periods between rounds 18, 19 and 20 being increased to ensure that no club plays within 60 hours of another match."

However, had the Premier League stuck with tradition and scheduled all of this week's games for Dec. 26, all clubs would have had at least three days' rest before Matchweek 19 begins on Dec 30.

In many ways, the Premier League was on the horns of a dilemma with Matchweek 18 due to Boxing Day falling on a Friday. Had it scheduled all games on Boxing Day, that would have resulted in a blank weekend of fixtures on Dec. 27 and Dec. 28, something that would have left broadcasters with no Premier League games to televise and with fans likely upset, too.

So perhaps the least-worst option was to play Matchweek 18 over Saturday and Sunday and select just one game -- Man United vs. Newcastle -- on Boxing Day to appease the traditionalists.

How have fans reacted to this deviation from tradition?

There has been a media backlash about the reduced fixture list, but there hasn't been a huge outcry among supporters over the lack of Boxing Day games.

In recent years, the Boxing Day list has often been played over two days -- Dec. 26 and Dec. 27 -- so fans have become accustomed to the fixture list stretching outside the bounds of Boxing Day.

When the Premier League confirmed the Christmas fixture list on Oct. 31, the Football Supporters' Association posted just one tweet in response, calling the Premier League "thoughtless" for scheduling the United-Newcastle game at 8 p.m. local time on Dec. 26. There was no condemnation of the rest of the games being played over Saturday and Sunday.

It should also be pointed out that there will be plenty of soccer in England on Boxing Day. There is a full list of fixtures in the EFL and National League, so fans won't have to go far to find a game in their area if they want to honor the tradition of attending a game on Boxing Day.

So, what will the Premier League do next year?

Don't worry: The Premier League will be back on Boxing Day 2026 with a comprehensive fixture list. Pee

"The League can give an assurance that next season there will be more Premier League matches on Boxing Day as the date falls on a Saturday," the Premier League said.

But if you really need to see some English football this year and can't wait until 8 p.m. local time (3 p.m. ET) to watch United take on Newcastle, check out any of the 36 EFL games -- including Wrexham vs. Sheffield United and Championship leaders Coventry against Swansea -- or the 12 games in the National League.

The game continues in England this Boxing Day, but for this year only, the Premier League has just one fixture to keep the supporters happy.

- Mark Ogden

 

ENGLAND RUGBY STAR LAKERS ALL BLACK' HAKA 'RIDICULOUS' AND WANTS IT BANNED

New Zealand perform the dance at international rugby matches (Picture: Getty)

England rugby star Joe Marler has blasted New Zealand’s Māori dance, the Haka, and has called for the All Blacks tradition to be ‘binned’.

New Zealand face England at Twickenham on Saturday in an Autumn Nations Series clash and Marler has faced widespread criticism for ‘ill-judged’ comments.

Marler appeared to delete his social media account on X amid the backlash before making a swift return to insist that he was only trying to have ‘fun’.

‘Context is everything,’ the 34-year-old England prop posted, who has helped his country win three Six Nations titles and plays his club rugby for Harlequins.

‘Just having a bit of fun trying to spark interest in a mega rugby fixture. Some wild responses. Big Love… Also needed to satisfy my narcissism.’

Marler had previously posted: ‘The Haka needs binning. It’s ridiculous… It’s only any good when teams actually front it with some sort of reply. Like the league boys did last week.’

The New Zealand rugby haka was first performed by The Natives, their first representative team, during a 1888-89 tour of Britain and Australia.

It is traditionally performed by the All Blacks team prior to each international rugby game.

Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira CEO Helmut Modlik has slammed Marler for his remarks about the Haka.

‘For those who don’t know about the haka, who might speak ill of those cultural icons, it would be coming from a place of ignorance and would be ill-judged,’ Modlik told Stuff.

‘Remember, while it is part of a sporting spectacle, the haka is a cultural taonga, treasure, gifted to NZRU to perform respectfully, which they do now.’

It isn’t the first time Marler has disrespected the All Blacks. In 2019, he crossed the halfway line when New Zealand were performing the dance, which players are forbidden from doing.

Marler’s behaviour saw England hit with a £2,000 fine for breaching Rugby World Cup tournament rules ‘relating to cultural challenges’.

- Liam Grace