Lord’s Cricket Ground, currently located in St John’s Wood, London, is one of the most famous cricket grounds in the world. This ground is named after its founder, Thomas Lords, who was an English cricketer. During that period, three grounds were built, and this is one of them. The maintenance of this ground has been entrusted to the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), an important institution in the history of cricket. The MCC has the authority to update the rules of cricket.
The first-ever cricket match in history was played on this ground between White Conduit Club and Middlesex on 21 May 1787. The first Test match on this ground was played between Australia and England from 18 to 22 July 1884, with England defeating Australia by 5 runs. Australia won its first Test match at this ground in 1888 and went on to secure consecutive victories from 1934 to 2009. However, during the 2009 Ashes series, England successfully prevented the Australian team from securing a victory.
Lord’s Cricket Ground: The Oldest Sports Museum and its Treasured Memorabilia
Known as the Home of Cricket, this ground is also the oldest sports museum in the world. It houses a vast collection of cricketing memorabilia, including the famous Ashes urn and a displayed stuffed sparrow.
The pavilion is the most beautiful part of this ground and was designed by Thomas Verity between 1889 and 1890. There is a strict dress code inside the pavilion. The dressing room of this ground records the names of batsmen who scored centuries on this ground, as well as the players who took 5 or 10 wickets in a match.
One of the greatest batsmen in cricket history, Don Bradman, scored 254 runs on this ground during the 1930s. This record stood for 7 years until it was broken by England’s Graham Gooch, who scored 333 runs against India.
Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath holds the record for taking the most wickets at this ground, with 26 wickets to his name.
Lord’s Slope: A Challenging Terrain for Batsmen and Sports Beyond Cricket
Lord’s Cricket Ground is renowned for its beauty and its slope. Built in a hilly area, there is a significant difference in slope between the North and South sides of the ground, which favors fast bowlers. This slope proves challenging for batsmen, making it difficult to score runs. Apart from cricket, sports like tennis and baseball have also been organized on this ground, and it can accommodate up to 31,000 spectators.
Historical Records at Lord’s: Highest and Lowest Team Totals
Some of the best records in international cricket have been set at Lord’s ground. The highest run total in an innings in Test cricket was achieved by the Australian team against England in 1930, scoring 729 runs for the loss of 6 wickets. On the other hand, the lowest team total is also recorded at this ground during a match between Ireland and England in 2019, with Ireland being all out for 38 runs.
Memorable Moments: ICC World Cup and Ganguly’s Celebration
A memorable match of the ICC One Day World Cup took place between New Zealand and England at Lord’s, where England emerged victorious in a thrilling contest, securing their first ICC ODI World Cup title.
Another significant event at Lord’s was during the final match of an ODI series between India and England. After winning the match, Indian captain Sourav Ganguly celebrated by taking off his T-shirt, making it one of the most famous moments at this ground.