Ben Stokes: 'Extreme conditions' at Lord's not helping the future of Test cricket

The Test was concluded in the first session on the fourth day, after multiple and prolonged rain delays, as the home team cantered to a 115-run victory to go 1-0 ahead on three-match series.

"I get asked questions all the time about the longevity of this format," Stokes said. "The game is played over five days. Without the weather, it wouldn't even have finished on day four.

"As someone who believes Test cricket should never disappear, that (early finish) is not ideal. From a playing point of view, it's great to be challenged. We might have conditions that are completely different next week (at The Oval).

"We will have to do the same thing: assess the conditions quickly and come up with the best chance of winning.

"It is tough for groundsmen. They are not actively producing wickets that are tricky, with 16 wickets falling in a day. But I get asked all the time about what needs to happen, saving Test cricket and this, that and the other.

"When you see extreme conditions like that, that's not going to help the game in the future."

The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), who owns and operates Lord's, acknowledged in a statement that the pitch for the first Test had fallen short of expectations.

MCC chief executive Rob Lawson said: "We recognise that the pitch for this Test has shown more variable bounce than we would have wanted. We hold ourselves to the highest standards and are naturally frustrated when a surface falls short of those expectations."

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