Lord's ground like a 'patchwork quilt' ahead of crunch England Test

 
14 August 2012

Lord's officials have admitted the outfield for the third and final Investec Test between England and South Africa will resemble "a patchwork quilt".

The famous cricket ground was used to host the archery events at the recently-completed London Olympics, with a third of the outfield having to be relaid following the end of the competition.

However, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) have insisted that the state of the pitch will not increase the likelihood of an injury occurring and denied it would hamper the quality of the match, which gets under way on Thursday.

"The outfield will look very different from how it does normally ahead of a Test match, like a patchwork quilt, but there are no issues as far as we are concerned - it is fit for play," an MCC spokesman told the Guardian.

"As well as being passed by the match referee, we've had the MCC's young cricketers running and fielding out there and they have not reported any difficulties or anything which could cause anyone to get injured.

"All that is required between now and Thursday is a little TLC but we won't be doing anything that wouldn't be done prior to any other Test match.

"It is also important to stress that the square has been completely unaffected by Lord's use during the Olympics. That has remained untouched and protected and will be in perfect condition for the start of play on Thursday."

England need a victory at Lord's to maintain their position at the top of the International Cricket Council Test rankings.

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