England captain Ben Stokes warned Sunday that test cricket, a format under massive threat from the Twenty20 game, needs better pitches than the one served up at Lord’s for his team’s 115-run win over New Zealand in the first match of the series.
The test at the home of cricket lasted just 166 completed overs — making it the second shortest ever in the 150 to be staged at Lord’s — and with just 617 runs scored by the two teams combined.
On an untrustworthy and nightmarish pitch for batters, there was a wicket every 25 balls — which, according to the BBC, is the lowest in England since 1907.
Some 24 of the 40 dismissed batters were out either bowled (13) or lbw (11), the most in a test in England.
Speaking as a winning captain, Stokes — one of the biggest proponents of test cricket — said this match wasn’t a good look for a longer format that many believe is dying.
“I get asked a lot about the future of test cricket, I get asked a lot about what we need to do to keep it growing, what we need to do to keep it such a strong format in the future,” Stokes said post-match in a long answer that ended with something of a warning.
“As someone who loves test cricket, my one thing to say is — is this something that will benefit test cricket going forward? I don’t think so.”
The match might have reached Day 4, but only because almost the whole of the third day’s play was washed out.
“If you got tickets on Day 1, you would have absolutely had a great time — wickets going everywhere, balls flying off everywhere, because that’s how the batsmen decided it was the best way to score runs,” Stokes said.
“But the other side of it ... if there wasn’t any rain, the game’s going to end early. Is that what we want to end up doing? You sort of want to find somewhere in the middle.”
Stokes, however, praised his team for adapting to a pitch that had batters laughing as they were walking back to the dressing room after dismissals, such was their bemusement at the ball movement and uncertainty of their own footwork.
Indeed, Stokes was seen shaking his head in disbelief after he was removed for a three-ball duck in the second innings by a delivery from Nathan Smith that straightened as it angled in and hit the top of off-stump.
“It doesn’t take anything away from the way that we had to operate this week,” he said. “We’ve come here. We played a game and a brand of cricket that allowed us to be successful in these conditions.
“We might turn up next week, and it’ll be completely different, and then we have to do something there.”
That’s a message supported by New Zealand captain Tom Latham ahead of the second test at The Oval starting June 17.
“I think it’s important we don’t delve too much into this game,” Latham said. “We understand we’ll go to The Oval and conditions will be a lot better than they have been here.”
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
England's captain Ben Stokes, right, celebrates with teammates after the dismissal of New Zealand's Devon Conway during the fourth day of the Test match between England and New Zealand at Lord's cricket ground in London, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
England's Gus Atkinson, right, celebrates with captain Ben Stokes after bowling out New Zealand's Matt Henry to win the Test match between England and New Zealand at Lord's cricket ground in London, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
England's Ben Stokes reacts as he leaves the field after their win in the Test match against New Zealand at Lord's cricket ground in London, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Armenians voted in a parliamentary election on Sunday as the incumbent government, under mounting Russian pressure, sought to loosen ties with Moscow and deepen cooperation with the West.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his governing Civil Contract party are looking for a strong mandate for a new geopolitical course for Armenia. The opposition they face includes some parties that are vocally pro-Russia.
Casting his vote on Sunday, Pashinyan said that the country would continue strengthening its independence, statehood, democracy and rule of law.
"The European Union is our main partner in democratic reform implementation, and we will continue that path,” he said.
He also stressed that there were no tensions between Armenia and Moscow, saying "our relations with Russia are institutional and based on mutual respect,” the Armenpress news agency reported.
Russian officials have hit Armenian exports with a barrage of restrictions in recent weeks. President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials have made thinly veiled threats comparing Armenia’s path to that already taken by Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia.
Meanwhile, Armenian investigators said that they issued six arrest warrants for members of the opposition Strong Armenia party the day before the election, accusing them of buying votes. The nation's Central Election Committee confirmed Saturday that the party could run after a member of another opposition party, Republic, appealed for Strong Armenia to be barred over corruption allegations.
Commenting on the arrests on Sunday, the head of the Strong Armenia party, Russian Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetyan, said that they “would not change the minds of Armenian voters.”
Karapetyan is under house arrest for allegedly advocating for the government’s overthrow, a charge that the billionaire has rejected as politically motivated. He was escorted to a polling station where he spoke briefly to the media before returning home.
“The Armenian people will make the right choice and Armenia will finally have a legitimate government,” he said.
Armenia’s National Assembly must consist of at least 101 members who are elected for five-year terms. Parties must win at least 4% of the vote to take a seat, while blocs made up of three or more parties must hit 8%.
Two political blocs and 17 parties are taking part in Sunday's election. Most pollsters and experts have predicted Pashinyan, who came to power in 2018 following sweeping street protests, will come out ahead.
“I think Armenians expect, first of all, a peaceful, independent and prosperous Armenia from this election, as we have today,” said Hripsime Grigoryan, a Civil Contract member of the outgoing parliament.
Pashinyan has spoken on several occasions about the need for a balanced foreign policy to ensure that Armenia maintains good relations with the United States, Europe and Russia, as well as regional powers such as Turkey and Iran — both of which border Armenia.
Despite this, Pashinyan has attracted far more enthusiasm in the West than in Moscow. He has been endorsed by several European leaders, and U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, of Armenia, a great friend and Leader, is making his Country strong, wealthy, and very secure,” Trump wrote on social media, urging Armenians to “Make (Armenia) Great Again.”
This has displeased the Kremlin. Speaking to journalists after Russia’s Victory Day parade on May 9, Putin said if the Armenian people saw benefits in joining the European Union, then “we will certainly have nothing to say against it.”
Yet he also reminded reporters, “We are currently living through everything that is happening in respect of Ukraine. And how did it start? It started with Ukraine’s joining or attempting to join the EU.”
Unlike the Civil Contract party, most of Armenia’s opposition supports building stronger relations with Moscow.
The Strong Armenia party seeks to develop business ties with Russia and has accused Pashinyan of attempting to start a war with Moscow.
Other potential contenders include former President Robert Kocharyan, who leads the Hayastan bloc and also has accused Pashinyan of undermining relations with Russia, and the Prosperous Armenia Party, led by pro-Russia business owner Gagik Tsarukyan.
These parties also have strongly criticized Pashinyan for attempting to normalize relations with neighboring Azerbaijan. The Armenian leader and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev initialed a document on moving toward a peace deal at the White House alongside Trump in August.
Armenia and Azerbaijan were locked in a decades-long conflict over the fate of Karabakh, a breakaway region that had been controlled for decades by ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia. Azerbaijan took control of the entire Karabakh region during a rapid offensive in 2023.
“I want this government to change, because the condition of our country is getting worse,” Sahakyan Elina, a supporter of the Prosperous Armenia Party, told The Associated Press at a rally Thursday. “I don’t want to live with my enemies in unity.”
Russian officials have imposed new restrictions on Armenian produce in the lead-up to the parliamentary vote, banning the import of Armenian flowers, certain types of cognac and wine, eggplant, potatoes, dried fruits, fish and more.
Russia says the bans are related to violations of agricultural import rules.
The European Commission on Thursday described the move as “nothing short of economic coercion.”
“By extending export restrictions on Armenian products, Moscow is weaponizing economic relations for political pressure. We know this playbook all too well,” the commission said in a statement.
Moscow also controls a significant portion of Armenia’s energy and infrastructure, and supplies it with cheap gas, which is a point that Putin has been quick to drive home in his meetings with Pashinyan.
Putin also has stressed that Armenia can't join the EU and remain within the Eurasian Economic Union, a Russia-led customs bloc.
“Being in a customs union with the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union is impossible,” Putin said. “It’s simply impossible by definition.”
Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England, and Sam McNeil in Brussels, contributed to this report.
A woman holding a child casts her ballot at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Yerevan, Armenia, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
A member of an election commission prepares the ballots while waiting for voters at a polling station, during a parliamentary election in Yerevan, Armenia, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
A woman gets a ballot at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Yerevan, Armenia, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
Russian-Armenian tycoon Samvel Karapetyan speaks to the media after voting at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Yerevan, Armenia, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
Russian-Armenian tycoon Samvel Karapetyan, center, speaks to the media after voting at a polling station during parliamentary election in Yerevan, Armenia, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
A man looks at his ballot at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Yerevan, Armenia, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, center, casts his ballot at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Yerevan, Armenia, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, center, looks at photographers after voting at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Yerevan, Armenia, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
Voters gather to get their ballots at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Yerevan, Armenia, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, center, casts his ballot at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Yerevan, Armenia, Sunday, June 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
Supporters of Armenia's ruling Civil Contract party led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan gather in Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia, Friday, June 5, 2026, for the party's final campaign rally ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
People walk along a street near a campaign advertisement for Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan, Armenia, on Thursday, June 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
Supporters of Armenia's ruling Civil Contract party leading by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan hold up heart signs while gathering in Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia, Friday, June 5, 2026, for the party's final campaign rally ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
FILE - Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan meet at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on April 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov, Pool, File)
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan poses for a selfie photo with a supporter as he walks on Northern Avenue in Yerevan, Armenia, Monday, June 1, 2026, during public celebrations marking International Children's Day. (AP Photo/Anthony Pizzoferrato)
