ENG vs IRE 2023: Lord's Cricket Ground, London pitch history and Test records
Lord's Cricket Ground will play host to the one-off Test between England and Ireland, starting Thursday (June 1). It's the first Test of the English summer, and the hosts will be keen to pick up a win before the Ashes series against Australia.
Ireland have played only one Test against England before, which they lost by 143 runs inside three days. Considering their experience, England will start as the favourites to win the upcoming Test.
Before the one-off Test gets underway, here's a look at the pitch history of the Lord's Cricket Ground.
Lord's Cricket Ground, London Test records & stats
The pitch helps bowlers and batters. The average first innings score in Tests on this ground is 311, highlighting that the batters have had a good time in the first phase of Tests. Fast bowlers receive some help, too.
Here are some important numbers you need to know from the previous Test matches hosted by the Lord's Cricket Ground:
Test matches played: 143
Matches won by teams batting first: 51
Matches won by teams batting second: 41
Matches Drawn: 51
Highest individual score: 333 - Graham Gooch (ENG) vs. India, 1990
Best bowling figures (innings): 8/34 - Ian Botham (ENG) vs. Pakistan, 1978
Best bowling figures (match): 16/137 - Robert Massie (AUS) vs. England, 1972
Highest team score: 729/6 dec - Australia vs. England, 1930
Lowest team score: 38 - Ireland vs. England, 2019
Average first-innings score: 311
Lord's Cricket Ground, London Pitch report
The pitch report for this game will be televised a few minutes before the match starts.
A fresh wicket will likely be on offer for the first Test of the English summer. If the batters tackle the swing well in the first session, they should dominate the opening day.
Over the years, the wicket at Lord's has helped fast bowlers, while spinners have enjoyed success, too. It will be interesting to see how the pitch behaves in the Test between England and Ireland.
Lord's Cricket Ground, London Last Test match
South Africa crushed England by an innings and 12 runs in the last Test at Lord's. The Proteas scored 326 i reply to England's 165. Trailing by 161 runs, England were bowled out for 149 runs in the second innings.
Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada bagged seven wickets for South Africa . South Africa opener Sarel Erwee and England's No. 3 three batter Ollie Pope were the only two batters to cross the 50-run mark.
Brief Scores: South Africa 326 (Sarel Erwee 73, Ben Stokes 3/71) beat England 165 (Ollie Pope 73, Kagiso Rabada 5/52) & 149 (Alex Lees 35, Anrich Nortje 3/47) by an innings and 12 runs.