What Is 2.5 Meter Lord's Slope? Explaining Its Impact On Bowlers, Batters
The 2.5-meter 'slope' at the Lord's Cricket Ground poses unique challenges to both batters and bowlers.
- The slope at Lords runs diagonally from Pavilion End to Nursery End with a 2.5m drop
- The slope exists due to the natural terrain of St Johns Wood where the ground was built in 1814
- Bowling from Pavilion End is downhill and aids movement into right-handers and away from left-handers
Arguably the most iconic cricket stadium in the world, Lord's isn't a venue that is purely known for its statistics. While some of the most memorable cricketing encounters have taken place at the venue, the 'slope' at the center of the stadium has also been a subject of chatter among fans and experts ahead of the third Test between India and England. It is absolutely not common for cricket grounds to have such slopes, especially in modern times, but despite the venue's renovation, the 'slope' remains an integral part of the cricketing atmosphere that the Lord's offers, making it tricky for both the batters and the bowlers.
What Is The 'Slope' At Lord's Cricket Ground?
The 'slope' is actually a diagonal gradient across the playing field, running from the north-west (Pavilion End) to the south-east (Nursery End). The drop is approximately 2.5 meters (8 feet 2 inches) across the ground. While it isn't natural for such a slope to exist at the venue, it exists because of a natural terrain of St John's Wood where the ground was built in 1814. Though it was discussed to neutralize the slope in the past, the logistical challenges of leveling it prompted the authorities against making any change.
Former England bowler and Middlesex stalwart Angus Fraser, who played 96 first-class matches at Lord's, explained the unique characteristics of the venue's slope.
"It's pretty obvious that if you were building a cricket ground from scratch, you wouldn't have a slope like this," Fraser tells The Athletic.
"But it's something that's there because it's been the nature of that piece of land for thousands of years. It flows down from Hampstead Heath (the city's highest point at 139m/456ft above sea level) into central London and eventually ends up in the River Thames.
"It's pretty unique. Grounds in most other countries are newer and pretty flat, but there are similar things on other English cricket grounds. You run down a hill from the Kirkstall Lane End at Headingley (in Leeds), and there's a bit of a slope downhill at (Nottingham's) Trent Bridge, but I can't think of a slope like Lord's across the ground."
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Challenges For Batters And Bowlers
When a bowler is bowling from the Pavilion End, the experience is 'downhill'. The slope also helps bowlers bring the ball into right-handed batters and take it away from left-handers. Hence, a lot more LBW dismissals can be expected. Australian cricket great Glenn McGrath had developed a reputation of exploiting this characteristic of the surface during his playing days.
When bowling from the Nursery End, the experience is 'uphill'. The ball, hence, moves away from right-handers and into left-handers. Someone like Jasprit Bumrah, who has an angled run-up, might prefer to bowl from this end of the pitch.
The batters also have to make technical adjustments in their game in order to negate the variance that the slope causes.
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Lord's, London