The WTC final was initially pencilled in to return to Lord’s next year after the success of the 2025 edition, although this was never confirmed publicly. The MCC remains hopeful that the fixture will return to Lord’s in future, and sources indicated that the 2029 final could be played there subject to the success of MCC’s review of its pitches, which includes plans to relay “underperforming” strips.
The decision is a commercial boost for Surrey, who were initially allocated one Test match next summer but will now host two instead, along with the fifth Ashes Test. “It’s an honour to host the biggest games in cricket and it doesn’t get much bigger than the ICC World Test Championship Final,” Steve Elworthy, the club’s chief executive, said.
Other factors in the ECB’s decision are understood to include the short turnaround between the WTC final (June 9-13) and the second Ashes Test at Lord’s (June 30-July 4), and a belief that the substantial Bangladeshi population in greater London made Lord’s an ideal host for England’s one-off Test match against Bangladesh (May 28-June 1).
