The 3rd Test of the 2025 Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy between India and England is going to be a cracker. With the series tied 1-1, this game at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground is crucial for both teams.
Lord’s is called the home of cricket because of its history and culture. It has a slope, a unique feature in cricket.
What is the Slope and Why is it Important?
The slope at Lord’s is a geographical gradient that runs from the north to the south ends of the ground, dropping more than 8 feet (2.5m). It’s from the Grandstand to the Tavern side.
This slope has been there since the current site was built in 2014. The land was once a duck pond on a hill in St. John’s Wood and the slope was formed when the stadium was built around it.
Despite calls to level the slope and renovations like replacing the outfield in 2002 and adding new stands, the slope remains.
The Slope’s Effect on Cricket
The slope not only gives the ground a unique feel but also affects the game for both batsmen and bowlers.
For bowlers bowling from the nursery end, the slope helps the ball to move away from right handed batsmen. From the pavilion end, it helps inswinging deliveries. The opposite happens for left handers. This feature of the ground gives bowlers something to work with even on flat, unhelpful pitches.
Historically, left arm pacers have found success here as the slope makes it harder for batsmen, especially right handers, to judge the ball’s movement.
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Former England cricketer Tim Murtagh spoke to ECB about the slope and how it challenges batsmen: You’ve got to be very careful depending which end you bat [at], whether your head’s falling over down the hill. Sometimes batsmen find it even more of a struggle than bowlers to adjust and work out their position on the crease. Certainly, the first couple of times, we’ve seen batsmen fall over a lot from batting at the Pavilion End. It’s just something you have to slightly adjust in either your feet or your center of gravity or your weight position. It’s tricky for both batsmen and bowlers when they first come there.
