ICC declares Lord's and Gaddafi Stadium pitches unsatisfactory

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rated the pitches for the first Test between England and New Zealand at Lord's Cricket Ground and the third ODI between Pakistan and Australia at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore as unsatisfactory, giving both venues one demerit point each.
Match referees Andy Pycroft and Graeme La Broye have mentioned the concerns of the umpires and the captains of both teams in their reports.

Regarding the Lord's pitch, Andy Pycroft said that the ball was taking excessive seam movement throughout the Test match and was unusually low on several occasions. With 16 wickets falling on the first day and 17 on the second day, it was clear that the wicket had completely tipped the balance between bat and ball in favour of the ball.

Regarding the pitch at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore, Graeme La Broye said that the wicket was extremely slow and low, which made it very difficult to score runs. It was not up to the standards of One Day International cricket.

The ICC has sent the reports to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Both boards have 14 days to file an appeal against the decision.