Lord's – A brief timeline

2005 Pavilion undergoes £8.2 million redevelopment
1999 Media centre (aka the gherkin) opened at the Nursery End
1998 Women admitted as members of MCC and allowed into the pavilion for the first time
1996 Old grandstand demolished at the end of the season and work on new grandstand (Architect: Nicholas Grimshaw & Partners) started (completed in 1998)
1995 New indoor school opened
1991 Compton and Edrich stands (Architect: Michael Hopkins & Partners) opened after a contentious building programme which ran over budget and over time
1990 First public tour of Lord’s
1988 Electronic scoreboard used for the first time
1987 Bicentary of MCC marked with a game between MCC and Rest of the World. New mound stand (architect: Michael Hopkins and Partners) opened.
1977 New indoor school opened.
1976 First women’s match (England v Australia ODI)
1975 First World Cup final (Australia v West Indies)
1968 New Tavern Stand opened (architect: Kenneth Peacock.)
1963 First limited-overs final (Gillette Cup, Sussex v Worcestershire)
1958 Warner Stand opened on site of old A enclosure (architect: Kenneth Peacock.)
1953 Coronation Garden opened
1949 First time former players are honoured with life membership
1938 First televised Test match (v Australia)
1934 Q Enclosure (renamed the Allen Stand in 1989) opened (architect: Sir Herbert Baker.); Harris Memorial Garden opened
1926 Grandstand opened (architect; Sir Herbert Baker) and topped with the Father Time weathervane, a gift from the architect
1923 Grace Gates opened (architect: Sir Herbert Baker) as a tribute to WG Grace, “The Great Cricketer”
1909 Imperial Cricket Conference (subsequently the International Cricket Council) formed. It retained its headquarters at Lord’s until 2005
1899 Albert Trott becomes the first -and to date only – man to hit a ball over the current pavilion
1898 Old Mound stand built on the site of the tennis courts, and new court built behind the pavilion
1890 Pavilion built (architect: Frank Verity) at a cost of £21,000 and constructed in eight months
1888 Lord’s future threatened by a plan to compulsorily purchase an area of land to build a new railway. This scheme was subsequently defeated
1887 Three-and-a-half acres of agricultural land (Henderson’s Nursery) bought, now the Nursery End ground
1884 The first Test at Lord’s (England v Australia) making it England’s third Test venue (behind The Oval and Old Trafford)
1868 Old Tavern built (architect: Edward Paraire)
1867 Original grandstand built (architect: Arthur Allom)
1866 MCC buy freehold of the ground for around £18,000. The club had declined to bid six years earlier when it was sold for £7,000
1846 Printing tent erected and up-to-date scorecards sold for the first time
1827 First Oxford v Cambridge match (the oldest first-class fixture)
1825 Original Pavilion destroyed by fire and all early MCC records lost. First Oxford v Cambridge match (the oldest first-class fixture)
1814 Thomas Lord’s third ground opened

Jones faces tough test

Simon Jones’s hopes of making the full England tour of the West Indies will be given their most serious test yet this weekend when the A side begin their first-class leg in India.Jones, who is currently on standby for the Caribbean, is likely to play in the four-day game against Tamil Nadu at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, which begins tomorrow.Since Jones tore his cruciate ligaments in the Brisbane Test in November 2002, he has been on the sidelines working his way back to fitness. He suffered stiffness after bowling only 13 overs in two matches in Malaysia before the team arrived in India.However, after plenty of treatment to get fit for the final two one-dayers of the three-match series with India A, he bowled at about 90% of his full pace without further discomfort.”We were being cautious and didn’t expect any reaction,” insisted Stuart Osbourne, England A’s physio. “He’s good as gold.”

Selectors shoulder the burden of Warne's replacement

SYDNEY, Dec 16 AAP – The repercussions of Shane Warne’s shoulder injury will be felt next week, next year and, possibly, by the next generation of Australian spin bowlers.Warne underwent surgery today on his dislocated shoulder and will be out of action for at least four to six weeks, opening a huge hole in the world’s best cricket side.The first job for the national selection panel will be finding a replacement for Warne ahead of the tri series match against Sri Lanka on December 22 in Perth.Then it has to find another spinner for the fourth and fifth Test matches in Melbourne and Sydney.After that it’s the rest of the one-day series which lead to the World Cup.Australian team doctor Trefor James said Warne was a good chance of being fit for the World Cup which starts in seven weeks.But the selectors will have to be prepared for an Australian team without the famous No.23.National selection convenor Trevor Hohns admitted the next few days would be tough for the selectors.”We’ve certainly got a lot of thinking to do,” Hohns said.”We, as a group of selectors, have several options.”Hohns said it was hard to make decisions about Warne’s immediate successor.He emphasised the selectors’ attitude was to pick the best available team each time rather than use upcoming matches to test credentials of those in the queue.”We pick the best team – it’s not a matter of giving someone an opportunity for the sake of it.”We’ll be picking the next best spinner.”Finding a replacement for the Perth match is the least of the worries as the bouncy WACA ground suggests the addition of pace bowler Andy Bichel would be a way around the matter, with Darren Lehmann’s occasional spin as a back-up.For the Test matches, there’s really only one option – Stuart MacGill.MacGill’s Test career has been brilliant with 82 wickets in 17 Tests at an average of 25.Against England he’s been phenomenal with 27 wickets from four Tests at an average of 17.That gets the selectors through to the New Year.But what happens for the World Cup if Warne doesn’t regain full fitness, or reinjures the shoulder?The big problem the selectors face is that MacGill is not in the Australian 30-man World Cup squad.The legspinner included in that squad is Victorian youngster Cameron White.The squad also includes leftarm spin bowlers like Mark Higgs, Brad Hogg and all-rounder Michael Clarke, who is already close to inclusion in the final 15-man squad.White is an ideal one-day prospect, he’s a good bowler, he can bat like a top-order player and he led the Australian under-19 side to victory in the youth World Cup.But he’s only 19.Whether he’s ready for the big stage on the high veldt is a tough question.That’s why the national selectors have been trying to get in touch with the International Cricket Council (ICC).”We’re seeking a bit of clarification from the ICC about bringing in someone from outside that 30-man squad,” Hohns said.And he’s not talking about Steve Waugh.If the Australian Cricket Board gets the green light to bring in a player from outside the 30-man squad, bet on it being MacGill.MacGill is regarded as an expensive one-day bowler because of his attacking style.But in three one-dayers for Australia, he has taken six wickets and conceded only 3.5 runs per over.In one-dayers for NSW and Australia A he’s taken 94 wickets at 21.70 and conceded 4.79 runs per over.

Kumble hopes to be fit for Lankan tour

Indian bowling spearhead Anil Kumble on Saturday said that the regional cricket academies started by the Board of Control for Cricket in India was a good step in developing the game.”I have only been to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) at Bangalore. It is really good and I hope that it will help in producing talented cricketers”, he said speaking to reporters in Mumbai.The ace leg spinner, who was in the city to give away prizes of Brunswick bowling tour, was of the view that there was a need to nurture talent and these academies were one way of doing it.However, Kumble refused to comment on the much talked about contract system for the players. Speaking about his fitness after the shoulder operation he said he was hoping to be fit for the forthcoming Sri Lankan tour from July 1 to August 3.”Though my shoulder is getting better, it is too early to say when I will be fully fit”, the ace leggie said and added that he would play some matches before deciding anything.

Derbyshire sign NZ batsman Neil Broom

Derbyshire have signed the New Zealand batsman Neil Broom on a two-year deal from next season.Broom, 31, holds a British passport, will play in all formats and will feature alongside his fellow countryman Hamish Rutherford.He has played 22 ODIs and 10 T20s for New Zealand – his most recent international appearance coming in a T20 against Sri Lanka in 2013. The last of his one-day appearances came back in 2010 and he has a top score of 71 from his ODI career.In the 2014-15 Plunket Shield season – New Zealand’s first-class competition – he scored 820 runs at 45.55.”We’re delighted to have Neil with us for the next two seasons,” Graeme Welch, the Derbyshire head coach, said. “We know we need to strengthen our batting and adding a player of Neil’s experience and calibre will certainly do that.”He has competed at the highest level and played with Hamish Rutherford before so we know he’ll bring us something extra both on and off the field. Our youngsters will also benefit massively from playing alongside experienced international batsmen who can play all formats as they continue their development.”Broom said: “It’s a great opportunity for me to be able to play all forms in England over the next two summers. I have heard great things about the progress being made at Derbyshire and I am very much looking forward to joining up with my new team-mates next year.”

Dravid out for at least two weeks

Rahul Dravid has been sidelined for two to three weeks following a hair-line fracture to his right middle finger, an injury that forced him to retire on the morning of the final day in Adelaide. Dravid was struck on the glove by a Brett Lee bouncer and walked off after showing signs of discomfort.Dravid hasn’t been included in India’s one-day squad for the CB series and is expected to be fit for the home series against South Africa, starting in March. Dravid couldn’t grip his bat too well after the injury and, after receiving regular treatment from physio John Gloster, decided to leave the field in what will probably be his last appearance in Australia.He was taken for an X-ray soon after and spent the day using ice-cubes to heal the finger. A final report is awaited but he is unlikely to be ready for action before at least another couple of weeks.

Symonds not worth the risk

Slowly, slowly: Andrew Symonds won’t be rushed back © Getty Images

Alex Kountouris, Australia’s physiotherapist, does not want Andrew Symonds to play against The Netherlands on Sunday and will save him for the match against South Africa. Symonds light-heartedly told Ricky Ponting he was ready to play in the 203-run win over Scotland on Wednesday, but the captain said he was getting “seriously close” to full fitness.However, Kountouris will stick to his plan to have Symonds back on the field in “a week or so”. “[The Netherlands game] is three days away and he is not going to play in that game,” he said in the Courier-Mail. “The realistic game I am still looking at is South Africa.”Kountouris said he had to be convinced Symonds could throw hard before he would be cleared. He has done fielding drills, is bowling slowly in the nets and his batting schedule has inceased since Australia landed in the West Indies.”I want him to play as many games as possible,” Kountouris said. “It’s going OK but it is not worth the risk. That is too much of a risk in my view because he hasn’t thrown and he hasn’t batted enough.”

Lee and Ponting keep series alive

Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out

Brett Lee was back on-song, claiming four vital wickets as Australia sealed their first win of the contest © Getty Images

Australia withstood a fine partnership between AB de Villiers and Shaun Pollock to keep the series alive with a 24-run win at Port Elizabeth. Ricky Ponting returned to the side, compiled an assured half-century, and marshalled Australia’s most complete performance of the tour. Brett Lee roused himself with four wickets after a couple of quiet matches, while Australia’s fielding responded in superb style under pressure.It was only a matter of time before the real Australia showed up in South Africa and the side was far steadier under the guidance of Ponting. He kept his cool as de Villiers and Pollock engineered a brilliant stand of 119 in 22 overs, keeping the asking rate in single figures. Ponting entrusted a vital period of play to Shane Watson and Michael Clarke – given the major spinning responsibility ahead of Brad Hogg – and they responded to their captain’s call.Pollock inside-edged Watson to fine leg, suggesting the luck that had deserted South Africa with the dismissals of Herschelle Gibbs and Boeta Dippenaar had swung back the way of the home side. But next ball Pollock chanced his arm once too often and the old adage of “you miss, I hit” worked for Watson. de Villiers knew there was no point laying down and continued to try for boundaries – it looked like his powerful swing off Clarke had found the rope. Hogg, though, had other ideas and flung himself backwards at full stretch, holding on to an amazing catch at long on.In the bigger picture for South Africa it was a vital innings by de Villiers. This was his 17th ODI and he was struggling to settle into the short form of the game. He’d shown his hitting ability at Centurion with a 30-ball 43, but the ugly heave at Cape Town suggested he was still unsure of his role. Today he had no option but to try and rebuild the innings after South Africa slumped to 69 for 5, and he took his time, reaching fifty from 72 balls. Although he wasn’t able to turn the match around this knock will have done wonders for his belief.Lee is a man never short of belief, but he hadn’t been at the top of his game in the first two matches. Today the opening spell was more like his usual self as he removed Graeme Smith in characteristic fashion to give Australia the early boost they needed.

AB de Villiers fought hard for his first one-day international fifty, but couldn’t turn the innings around © Getty Images

Gibbs quickly stamped his authority on proceedings, but Australia then enjoyed two huge strokes of luck. Firstly, Dippenaar crunched a straight drive, which Stuart Clark managed to clip with his finger: Gibbs flung himself towards the crease, but his bat was fractionally in the air as the bails were removed. South Africa will have felt further aggrieved 17 runs later when Dippenaar was sent lbw despite the ball from Watson heading over the stumps.The next two wickets were down to some superb planning and knocked the stuffing out of South Africa. With Ponting sensing a crucial moment he returned to Lee, and his main striker was on-song as Boucher chased a good-length delivery through to the keeper. When Justin Kemp hooked tamely to long leg, the beefy middle-order was crumbling. Pollock and de Villiers produced a fine recovery effort but despite some impressive late blows from Roger Telemachus, the top order’s mixture of ill-fortune and poor shots had left too much to do.Australia’s innings, while being far from spectacular, was based around solid contributions from the leading batsmen and a late flurry from Clarke and Michael Hussey. Simon Katich played soundly before being brilliantly run out when he pushed the ball wide of de Villiers and was left well short when the fielder dived and, off balance, threw down the wicket.Ponting brought a sense of permanency to the No. 3 slot, which had been missing with his temporary replacements. He wasn’t at his fluent best, struggling like most of the batsmen to force the pace on a slow pitch, but ensured Australia had a platform for some late acceleration.Damien Martyn struck a 68-ball fifty after four single-figure innings in ODIs, and wickets in-hand allowed the later batsmen to club 40 off the final four overs. That late dash proved crucial and gave Australia the breathing space they needed. It has taken them time to find their feet, but with Ponting back and Lee firing the series may go down to the wire.

Adam Gilchrist c Boucher b Pollock 25 (36 for 1)
Nicked attempted back-foot slashSimon Katich run out (de Villiers) 49 (99 for 2)
Brilliant direct hit after diving pick-upRicky Ponting c Peterson b Pollock 62 (173 for 3)
Excellent catch tumbling backwards at deep midwicketDamien Martyn c Telemachus b Ntini 51 (214 for 4)
Chipped full toss off bottom of bat to wide mid-onMike Hussey c Gibbs b Hall 22 (243 for 5)
Lofted drive to wide long-offMichael Clarke run out (Boucher) 25 (244 for 6)
Run out trying to steal the strike off a wide

Graeme Smith c Gilchrist b Lee 10 (15 for 1)
Herschlle Gibbs run out (Clark) 16 (43 for 2)
Boeta Dippenaar lbw b Watson 16 (60 for 3)
Mark Boucher c Gilchrist b Lee 5 (68 for 4)
Justin Kemp c Bracken b Clark 0 (69 for 5)
Shaun Pollock b Watson 69 (188 for 6)
AB de Villiers c Hogg b Clarke (192 for 7)
Andrew Hall c Gilchrist b Lee (197 for 8)
Robin Peterson c Gilchrist b Lee (199 for 9)
Roger Telemachus lbw b Bracken 29 (230 all out)

Running into happiness

Shahid Afridi ran, ran, ran, ran, ran towards square leg and punchedthe air with a divine joy and turned around, and then they fell ontohim, one by one, a swarm of Pakistanis homing in on happiness. SachinTendulkar had played a ball from Afridi, just short-of-a-length,to Asim Kamal at short leg, and Kamal, who had dropped himearlier, held on. And then he watched Afridi run past him, and keep onrunning. What could stop them now? (AV)The million-dollar miss
Throughout the series, Pakistan’s fielders have been culpable ofcostly misses, but the biggest catch arrived moments before the teabreak. As India waged a grim battle, Mohammad Sami, who was shaping theball away from the bat, unleashed the surprise short one at SachinTendulkar. Tendulkar fended without any sort of control and the ballbegan its loopy trajectory left of the short-leg fielder, Asim Kamal.Kamal palmed it further away from him, juggled a couple of more timesand as if overwhelmed by the occasion, groped in the air as the ballfell to the ground. Sami dropped to his knees immediately, Kamalrealised the magnitude of the error and dropped too. Four Pakistanfielders had their hands on their heads, Kamran Akmal covered his face withhis gloves and Inzamam-ul-Haq went down in slow motion to apostion of . Eleven heads reeled in the centre as about25,000 around them danced with relief. (SV)Captain falling
When Sourav Ganguly came out to bat, sections of the crowd shouted,”We want Karthik, we want Karthik”. Less creative sections just booed.It was sad: such a fine batsman in his prime, perhaps the best captainIndia has ever had, now reduced to a poor parody of his formerself. He pottered around for a while, then tried to drive a ball fromShahid Afridi that pitched wide outside off, and missed. The ball cameinto him viciously, and bowled him. As the fielders celebrated,Ganguly stood around wondering what had happened, unable to fathomthat he was out, thinking perhaps that it was a stumping attempt andhis foot was in the crease, or that the ball had rebounded from KamranAkmal’s pads. He had been down for a while; and now the umpire saidthat he was out. He walked off; was it for the last time in a Testmatch? The crowd didn’t care. They booed him. (AV)The mesmeric opening
The roar over Sachin Tendulkar’s entry had hardly died down as hefaced up to Mohammad Sami’s steaming deliveries, but off the third ballhe faced, a full-length one on middle stump, he stirred some old memories. Front foot slightly forward, perfectly in position, bat thrustout just at the right moment, making perfect contact, summoning the force to drive it straight, managing the angle to beat the bowler … and thwack. Sami’s right hand extended desperately,the mid-on fielder simultaneously looked left, the ball had meanwhilecovered three-fourth the distance to the fence, the crowd had gonebonkers and several nostalgic chords sprung up within. (SV)Anything is possible
VVS Laxman had said yesterday, “The way [Virender] Sehwag plays, anything is possible.” Well, Sehwag was 38 off 53 balls, playing with controlled aggression, when Danish Kaneria bowled to Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir pushed it to mid-on, Sehwag casually backed down the pitch, Abdul Razzaq raced to the ball, Sehwag turned, Razzaq threw, and leather hit timber. Sehwag didn’t even have time to try to get back, he just walked to the crease and past it to the pavilion. Razzaqwindmilled his arms, and Inzamam-ul-Haq came, a wide smile painted on his face, and lifted him up.And then Rahul Dravid walked in. (AV)

Western Australia ING and Pura Cup squad announcement

The WA Selectors today released a 14-man Retravision Warriors squad for the ING and Pura Cup matches against News South Wales beginning this week.Left-arm fast-bowler Michael Clark has been included in the squad and is in line to play his first match of the season.Clark has been hampered by chronic back complaints since the middle of 2003 but has now fully recovered. He has been bowling for Subiaco-Floreat in the Vodafone Cup and declared himself fit for selection for the NSW fixtures.Clark was the Warriors leading wicket-taker in the Pura Cup last season with 38 wickets.The Retravision Warriors 14-man ING and Pura Cup SquadJustin Langer (C), Michael Hussey (VC), Jo Angel, Ryan Campbell, Beau Casson, Michael Clark, Ben Edmondson, Murray Goodwin, Kade Harvey, Scott Meuleman, Marcus North, Chris Rogers, John Taylor and Paul Wilson.The ING Cup team will be finalised at Warriors training on Monday evening. Details of training will be released tomorrow morning.The ING Cup match starts at 2.30pm this Wednesday with gates opening at 1.30pm. The Pura Cup match starts this Friday at 11am with gates opening at 10am.Ball by ball coverage of each match will be available on ABC 720AM and Radio Fremantle 107.9FM. 882 6PR will provided a comprehensive score update service.The first innings of the ING Cup match will be broadcast live on Access 31. The coverage will begin at 2.00pm and end at 6.00pm.

Game
Register
Service
Bonus