[Watch] Here's The First Look Of Lord's Pitch Ahead Of Second Ashes Test
Steve Smith inspects the Lord's pitch ahead of 2nd Test [Source: Twitter]
The second Ashes Test is all set to take place at the 'Home of Cricket' Lord's from June 28, and as always, the most significant source of contention in its lead-up is regarding the nature of the pitch.
The first Test in Birmingham was played on a very flat, slowish surface, which did not aid any sort of movement and minimal turn. The surface came for a flake from England's senior pacers- James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
So, what can we expect at Lord's?
The first look of the 22-yards was revealed on the eve of the all-important match, and it seems to be bearing a greenish tinge, likely to excite the seamers from both sides.
However, it will be interesting to see if the grass is shaved off prior to the start of the match. Also, both sides will be wary of not getting sucked into the greenish nature of the surface, as recent examples have shown that it may very well turn out to be deceptive.
The Lord's surface looked similar in the lead-up to the one-off Test between England and Ireland last month, but it turned out to be a superb wicket for batting, with both sides scoring in excess of 350 in two out of three completed innings.
In the past 5-6 years, Lord's has been more friendly towards the pacers than the spinners.
England, meanwhile, have named their starting XI for the Test match. The Ben Stokes-led unit has added an extra seamer in the form of Joshua Tongue for injured spinner Moeen Ali.
Australia are yet to announce their playing XI, and it will be interesting to see if left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc gets a look-in.
 "Yash Mittal")
