England v Australia, First Test, 21-25 July 2005
Lord's Cricket Ground, St John's Wood, London NW8 8QN |
The match against Australia is the second Test of the summer at HQ and, after the appetiser of Bangladesh in May, is the main, mouthwatering event.
The ground, owned by Marylebone Cricket Club, is named after Yorkshireman Thomas Lord, who went to London and set up a private cricket club in 1787.
He had to move it twice, but eventually settled in St John's Wood, having taken the original turf with him, with the first game taking place in 1814.
Lord sold the ground in 1825 for �5,000 and died seven years later, but his name lives on in the most superb of settings.
The famous sloping surface is surrounded by wonderfully appointed stands and is the only venue to have hosted 100 Tests, the century coming up in 2000.
The Australians have played 33 Tests at the venue, and have not lost there since the War.
 |  Anyone who has been lucky enough to play at Lord's knows what a special place it is |
The first of those victories came in 1888 on their third visit to the ground when they dismissed the hosts for a then record-low cumulative innings score of 115, with Charles Turner taking 10 wickets.
England won two of the next three meetings, but since then have been on the receiving end, winning just once - 71 years ago.
The visitors edged ahead in the head-to-heads in 1930 when Don Bradman's 254 helped his side to a record score of 729-6 at the ground.
Four years later England recorded that last win with Hedley Verity taking 15-104, a haul that included the double dismissal of Bradman, a wicket he claimed eight times, more than any other player.
Australia have reeled off eight victories since, one in each decade, and two in the eighties.
Bob Massie beat Turner's bowling figures with a fantastic return of 16-137 in the 1972 win while Allan Border came close to joining the illustrious list of Lord's Ashes double centurions in 1985.
The Australian skipper fell four runs short of joining Bradman, Wally Hammond and William Brown but still enjoyed finishing on the winning side.
Most recently, Australia won by eight wickets in 2001 with a strong all-round performance, Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie claiming five-fors and Mark Waugh hitting a ton.
Tickets
Lord's was overwhelmed by more than 100,000 applications for just 29,000 seats and unsurprisingly is a sell out for the first four days.
If there is any play on the fifth day tickets will be on sale on the gate and prices will be dependent on the state of the game.
Stat pack108 Tests:
England: 41 wins; 26 defeats; 40 draws
Australia beat South Africa in one neutral match (1912)
Highest individual score: 333
Graham Gooch; England v India 1990
Best bowling (innings): 8-34
Ian Botham; England v Pakistan 1978
Best bowling (match): 16-137
Bob Massie; Australia v England 1972
Record partnership: 370
Bill Edrich & Denis Compton (3rd wkt); England v S Africa 1947
England v Australia
| FRINDALL'S FASCINATING FACT Home of the only animal to have an obituary notice in Wisden when Peter, the Lord's cat, 'whose ninth life ended on November 5, 1964', was granted an entry on page 973 of the 1965 Almanack
|
32 Tests:
England: 5 wins; 13 defeats; 14 draws
Highest individual score:
Eng: 240; Wally Hammond 1938
Aus: 254; Don Bradman 1930
Best bowling figures:
Eng: 8-43; Hedley Verity 1934
Aus: 8-38; Glenn McGrath 1997
Best match figures:
Eng: 15-104 (7-61 & 8-43) Hedley Verity 1934
Aus: 16-137 (8-84 & 8-53) Bob Massie 1972
Record partnership:
Eng: 222 (4th wkt); Wally Hammond & Eddie Paynter 1938
Aus: 260 (1st wkt); Mark Taylor & Michael Slater 1993
Directions
The good news is that the ground is outside London's congestion charge zone, however you will still have to cope with the capital's streets and find a parking space.
Coming by car from the north, follow signs for the A5 from junction one off the M1, continuing into London until a left turn into St John's Wood Road (A5205).
From the west head for Central London along the A40 into Paddington before turning off the Marylebone Road into Lisson Grove (B507) and then on to St John's Wood Road.
There are a number of tube stations you could head for, with St John's Wood, on the Jubilee line, the closest.
If you want to avoid the crowds, and are happy to take a slightly longer walk, you could opt for Baker Street (Bakerloo, Circle, Hammersmith & City, Jubilee and Metropolitan), Maida Vale (Bakerloo), Marylebone (Bakerloo) or Edgware Road (Bakerloo, Circle, District and Hammersmith & City).
Beware of disruptions on the tube over the weekend of the Test on the Jubilee and Metropolitan lines.
Food & drink
You are on the doorstep of a global city and there are no end of places you could go to - whatever your tastes.
From brasseries and gastro pubs dotted around north London, to the city's major restaurants or chains, go out and enjoy your food.
The world famous Lord's Tavern is next to the Grace Gates and has had a major facelift in recent seasons, the uninspiring facade and bleak interior metamorphosing into a chic open-plan bar.
But if the crowds put you off there are plenty of other options for a post-match drink in any direction you wish to head.
If it rains
A short shower could give you the chance to take a stroll along nearby Abbey Road and "do a Beatles" on the famous zebra crossing.
Anything longer and you can head into town with your umbrella, which could come in handy in the queues outside Madame Tussauds.
MMIX
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