It all happened at Lord’s

Sourav Ganguly on his way to a Test debut century against England in the June 20-24, 1996 Test at Lord’s. PIC/AFP

Angelow. Merchant seaman Michael decided to enliven the on-field proceedings in the 1975 Ashes Test by running on to the hallowed turf and jumping over the stumps stark naked.

Bob Massie. There are fruitful Test debuts and there's Massie's at Lord's in 1972. The Western Australian claimed 16 wickets in his first Test for Australia, who ended up, as expectedly, winning.

Chappell. Greg's first Test at Lord's witnessed a century (131) of batting perfection. Richie Benaud who watched the ex-captain of Australia in England and Down Under rated this as Greg's best three-figure score among the 24.

Dickie. The departed umpire Bird didn't start off at Lord's but ended his 1973 to 1996 Test career there in the 1996 India vs England Test. Players, spectators spotted tears.

Engineer. This flamboyant Indian wicketkeeper's three Test visits to Lord's were consecutive (1967, 1971, and 1974).

Forty-two. This was India's score in the 1974 Test. Geoff Arnold (4-19) and Chris Old (5-21) bagged all the wickets (BS Chandrasekhar did not bat) as England triumphed by an innings and 285 runs.

Gooch. Not only did Graham grind India with his 333 in 1990, he also carved a century in the second innings.

Headley. This George remains the only West Indian to score a hundred in each innings at Lord's (106 and 107 in 1939). Yet England won by eight wickets.

Ian. A duck in both innings of the 1981 drawn Test against Australia resulted in Botham leading England for the last time.

Joe. Yorkshireman Root has scored more runs than any current or past player at Lord's - 23 Tests, 2166 runs at 55.54. Three of Root's last four visits to the crease resulted in hundreds.

Kapil. India's 1983 World Cup winning captain's six-hitting spree in 1990 went down in Lord's folklore. But an all-round show by Dev in the 1982 Test earned him the player of the match - 8 wickets in the game and 41 & 89 with the bat.

London. The city will never stop feeling proud of the Lord's Cricket Ground - to some the home of cricket, the Mecca of cricket and once the headquarters of cricket.

Michael. Ex-captain Vaughan, now known for his commentary, has some seriously good performances at Lord's that include six hundreds in 12 Tests for England.

Nursery. This part of the ground can even stage a match and provides excellent practice facilities. During Test matches spectators can relax and tuck into some global cuisine here.

Odd. The Lord's Test is generally the first of a short series and the second Test in a five-Test series. But in 1973, Lord's was the third Test in the England vs West Indies series. Kanhai & Co won the series 2-0.

Patrick. To many, Eagar was the world's greatest cricket photographer. His images of Lord's stood out in particular. My favourite? Kim Hughes on his knees, smashing Mike Hendrick to the fence in the 1980 Centenary Test.

Qadir. Magical leggie Abdul bagged six wickets in Pakistan's win in the 1982 Test. And in his analysis for Wisden Cricket Monthly, Jack Bannister wrote: "Those 371 deliveries he bowled in that match comprised every possible variation on a leg-spinner's theme."

Rahul Dravid started his Test match career in the Lord's Test of 1996. There was no dream debut century for the Karnataka battler as he was dismissed five short of a hundred, caught behind by Jack Russell off Chris Lewis.

Sourav. Left-handed stalwart Ganguly made his debut in the same Test as Dravid. The Prince of Kolkata did get a debut hundred (131) to launch a Test career that was controversial. As for 1996 in England, Ganguly helped himself to a hundred in the next Test at Trent Bridge.

Tony. Departed captain of England, Greig was appointed skipper for the 1975 Lord's Test against Australia. The selectors decided that it was time for Mike Denness to exit and Greig top-scored in England's first innings with 96.

Underwood. Deadly was his nickname and deadly sure he was against NZ in 1969 when the late Derek claimed 11 wickets to guide England to a 230-run win.

Vengsarkar. He justifiably earned the title of Lord of Lord's after becoming the first overseas player to score three consecutive Test tons at Lord's (1979, 1982, and 1986). Dilip's third century there helped India post their first Test win at the headquarters after 10 attempts.

Wettiminy. England thought they could finally notch up a win against Sri Lanka after the 0-5 loss to WI in 1984. But Sidath produced a fine innings of 190 in the drawn Test. Skipper Duleep Mendis and Amal Silva were the other visiting centurions.

X-ray. England's senior pro Colin Cowdrey didn't exactly need to look at the report closely to discover that his ulna bone on his left arm had snapped courtesy a ball from West Indies's Wes Hall in 1963. Cowdrey had to return to the pavilion but made a return in a plaster to save England from defeat.

Yardley. England skipper Norman made three Test appearances at Lord's - all of them as captain (vs South Africa in 1947, vs Australia the following year and West Indies in 1950). England under Yardley suffered losses against Australia and West Indies.

Zero. That's what England's Sam Curran got in both innings of the 2021 Test against India. His first-ball dismissals is the only instance of a king pair at Lord's.

mid-day's Deputy Editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance.
He tweets @ClaytonMurzello. Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com
The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper.