The Lordliest Field

The mystique surrounding Lord’s Cricket Ground affects both players and spectators.

- Neeru Bhatia/London

You can carry a picnic basket, a bottle of wine, or two cans of beer or two cans of premixed aperitifs. Welcome to Lord’s— the only international cricket ground in the world where spectators can bring their own alcohol. Also, it is the home of cricket. The keeper of rules, laws and the spirit of cricket.

Such is the aura of Lord’s that players—past and present—have failed to remain unaffected by its history and tradition. It is not the wicket or the conditions. It is simply the occasion. You have the Wimbledon, the Royal Ascot, British Open golf and a Lord’s Test match—a must on the social calendar.

The Lord’s Honours Board in the pavilion, which celebrates players who have scored a century there, is where each cricketer wants his or her name to be.