The old wooden pavilion sightscreen is no more

It is made of clear polycarbonate, but has a 'contravision' coating on the pitch-facing side which means it appears white to batsmen.

It replaces the old wooden sightscreen which obstructed the view of members.

"After looking into a large number of options, I believe that we have found the right answer," said MCC secretary Roger Knight.

"The old sightscreen caused real problems for people trying to watch the cricket from the pavilion's ground floor.

"The new sightscreen meets the interests of players and spectators alike," he added.

Despite being the traditional home of cricket, Lord's has not been afraid to show a spirit of innovation in the past.

The media centre made headlines five years ago

In 1999, the new �5m media centre won the Stirling prize for architecture, and was described by the judges as "a complete one-off - a wacky solution".

And Lord's was the first English ground to use portable drop-in pitches.

MCC members, meanwhile, have voted to approve an �8.2m redevelopment plan for the pavilion.

The project includes the the Long Room, construction of a new roof terrace and bringing the two turrets back into use.

Work is due to begin in September and be completed in time for the start of 2005 season.