The wicket-keeper

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1939: George Headley scores a century in both innings for West Indies

There was always a strong possibility that West Indies 1939 tour of England would be disrupted. But the events most likely to cause this disruption were not the territorial ambitions of Nazi Germany but the machinations of the West Indies Cricket Board. The success of their ...

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1926: The Father Time weathervane is gifted to MCC

Even among MCC’s most senior Members, few can claim to have seen more than 100 Test Matches at Lord’s. But one familiar face on the Ground has done just that. He first watched England beat West Indies by an innings and 58 runs in June 1928. He was at Lord’s for Don Bradman’s...

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1998: MCC votes to admit women as Members

For the first 211 years of its existence, MCC operated as a male only Club. The idea of admitting women as Members was discussed by the Committee in 1967, but it would be another three decades before sufficient support among existing Members could be generated. The catalyst ...

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2019: England's Ben Stokes is Man of the Match in the Men's World Cup Final

Being editor of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack is surely one of the most challenging jobs in cricket. But in one respect preparations for the 2020 edition were probably easier than most. Looking back over the previous twelve months in cricket, the answer to most questions see...

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1814: MCC beat Hertfordshire in the first match at this ground

The Marylebone Cricket Club was founded in 1787 by a group of gentlemen seeking a more peaceful and secluded area for their cricket. Thomas Lord’s new Ground at Dorset Fields was popular and successful, but the peace and seclusion didn’t last long. At turn of the 19 th cent...

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1980: Middlesex win the County Championship and Gillette Cup double

Under Mike Brearley’s captaincy, Middlesex became the dominant force in county cricket in both long and short formats, winning the County Championship outright in 1976 and 1980, and sharing the title in 1977. They also won the Gillette Cup in both 1977 and 1980. The team’s s...

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2009: England win their first Lord's Test against Australia in 75 years

England’s 2005 Ashes triumph had given English cricket a long-awaited boost, but a 5-0 reverse down under in 2006-07 demonstrated that Australia remained powerful opponents. When Ricky Ponting’s men arrived in England again in 2009 they had every hope of relegating 2005 to d...

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1938: Wally Hammond scores 240 for England against Australia

In almost any other age, Walter Hammond would have been acknowledged as the greatest batsman of his generation. Nothing seemed more certain than that he would dominate cricket for a decade after he scored 905 Test runs at an average of 113.12 on England’s 1928-29 tour of Aus...

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1974: Derek Underwood takes match figures of 13-71 for England

A ‘slow’ left-arm spinner of more like medium pace, Derek Underwood’s international career lasted from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s. He was the leading spin bowler in England for two decades, forming a deadly combination with wicket-keeper Alan Knott both at Test and cou...

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