Cricket world fumes at World Test Championship final ‘disaster’ as 14 wickets fall at Lord’s on Day 1

Cricket fans are up in arms after a ‘complete disaster’ on Day 1 of the World Test Championship left organisers scrambling.

Cricket fans have been left with a sour taste in their mouths as Day 1 of the highly-anticipated World Test Championship (WTC) final was punctuated by a bowler-friendly pitch with runs hard to come by.

Australia was sent in to bat and quickly found themselves back in the dressing room, dismissed for just 212, as controversial South African quick Kagiso Rabada took 5/51.

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But at stumps South Africa was undoubtedly worse off, slumping to 4/43 in reply, trailing by 169 runs, as Mitchell Starc finished the day with figures of 2/10 in seven overs as the ball swung and bounced unpredictably.

The trickle of runs made by Beau Webster’s 72 and Steve Smith’s 66 have put the Aussies in the box seat after just a single day, as they were the only batters all day to score more than 23 runs.

Despite a strong performance, Smith noted the difficult batting conditions post-match.

“It felt quite tricky. It was doing something all day,” Smith said.

“A little two-paced, a little on the slower side and then one would kind of zing through.

“It offered all day even with the older ball, it felt like it got softer but still offered something.”

A bowler-friendly pitch has wreaked havoc on Day 1 of the WTC final. Image: Getty

Former Australian cricketer Damien Fleming also wasn’t impressed with the wicket, pointing out it was a batting nightmare for everyone not named Steve Smith.

“Could there have been any more wickets?” Fleming said in his analysis of day on for SEN Cricket.

“It was a tough day for batting, Smith though looked like he was batting on a different pitch but it ended on a bizarre note.

“South Africa’s batsmen I did not see a lot of intent; the big three (Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood), they strangled the South African top order.

“The three Aussies were fantastic, it was a big day for them, they sent the bails flying.

“I don’t think we give enough credit to these three fast bowlers. If you played 50 tests as a fast back in the day you were in the top 10, they’ve gone well past that they have over 1000 wickets between them.”

Steve Smith looked comfortable out in the middle on Day 1. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

And the way the wickets are flowing the Test could be over on Day 2 or 3, much to the annoyance of the cricketing world, who torched the Lord’s pitch.

“14 wickets on Day 1 of a WTC, complete disaster. They really mucked this one up,” one fan wrote on X.

“Should have had a pitch that had gripping session by session play for a WTC Final, this is poor advert for red ball cricket,” another noted.

“This Lord’s Pitch is just like Southampton 2021 WTC Final pitch. There will be movement on all days, it’s pretty much bowler friendly,” a third said.

“Unfit pitch, Day 1 ruined,” a fourth added.

It comes amid a growing trend in cricket towards encouraging “livelier” pitches.

With several Test matches ending in draws due to them being batting paradises in recent years.

So arguably the Lord’s pitch is exactly what fans have been calling for.

But even still not all batsmen had a day to forget on Day 1, with Smith once again looking at home on the iconic English wicket.

The best Test batsman of his generation scored a crucial 66 after an early Aussie collapse to take his personal tally at the home of cricket to 591 runs.

It took him past legendary names like Don Bradman (551), Garry Sobers (571), and another Australian, Warren Bardsley (575), who has held the record for the most runs at Lord’s by a touring player since 1926.

Day Two of the WTC will begin at Lord’s at 7:30pm (AEST).