Lord's, the Magical Home of Cricket, Has Provided so Many Vibrant Memories
The august venue has a special place in the heart of the former Australia captain, both from his childhood and later as a county and Ashes Test player.
With another Lord's Test about to commence it is worth remembering the words of English sports journalist JM Kilburn who once wrote, "Chief among the charming characteristics of Lord's is its dignity. To sit at Lord's is to share in substance and so become a man of substance yourself." (Lord's Test: Highlights | Report | Scorecard)
As a young boy growing up in Adelaide, I listened to a lot of Test cricket on the radio. Much of it was Ashes cricket from England. It was the golden age of commentators with titans like John Arlott and Jim Swanton on the BBC, and Alan McGilvray and Lindsay Hassett on the ABC; all wonderful wordsmiths and raconteurs dripping with passion for the game. (Nevill Glad But Sad to Make Test Debut)
I would sleep with a transistor radio under my pillow so that I could get a score each time that I awoke during the night. At the expense of some school days, I was often awake in the early hours, listening to the verbal pictures that these doyens would paint of players, matches and atmospheres at the various Test grounds. (Is Lehmann a Laid-Back Genius or Optimistic Fool?)
One of my fondest memories of that period was the Lord's Test of 1961 which Australia won; Alan Davidson took five wickets in the first innings, Bill Lawry made a belligerent 130 and the tyro, Graham McKenzie, took five wickets in the second innings to set up victory for Australia.
The standing ovation as I left the field at the home of cricket is seared in my memory.
The interesting thing was that, over the radio, each ground seemed to have a distinct sound and feel. I was fascinated by the descriptions and dreamed of one day playing at these grounds. In my mind at that time, the two venues that had a real personality and atmosphere different from all the others that I heard coming across the airwaves were the Sydney Cricket Ground and Lord's.
I did not fully understand it then, but the amazing thing is that when I got to play at these two wonderful stadia, I had the exact same feeling. Both had something indefinable that no other ground could match for me; something of an atmosphere that reeked of the history of all the contests and the legendary names that had gone into battle on their hallowed fields.
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Even the dressing rooms had an atmosphere redolent with the great names that had spent time there over the years. I often found myself wondering if WG Grace or Sir Don Bradman had once stood on this very same spot at Lord's or the SCG.
I vividly remember the first time I walked through the Grace Gates for my first game at Lord's as a player for Somerset, just a few days shy of my 21st birthday in 1968. The weather was chilly, but the goose bumps on my arms were from the excitement of finally getting to realise a dream. I was warmed more by the memories of all those who had gone before me than the weak sun emanating from a cloudy August sky.
I managed to score a 50 in the second innings of a game which we eventually lost, but it gave me more satisfaction than any other 50 I had scored up to that point in my career.
My first visit as an Australian Test player was a less than three years later. It was Bob Massie's amazing Test debut in 1972, in which he took 16 wickets with some of the best swing bowling I have ever witnessed. I managed to hit 131 in a low-scoring match that we won, to tie the series 1-1. I consider that to be my best Test innings and the standing ovation as I left the field is seared in my memory.
Through the years, Australia has enjoyed a special relationship with Lord's and from 1934 to 2009 they remained unbeaten there. I have no doubt that for each player who has ever played a Test match at the home of cricket, the ground occupies a special place in his heart.
My other fondest memory was of the Centenary Test in 1980. It was the final Test at which John Arlott commentated and the announcement that he had just completed his final stint on the last day was met with a well-deserved standing ovation. I had met him before, but it was a special moment for me when he was invited to participate in the official ceremony on the balcony at the end of the game. It brought back many nostalgic memories of my childhood, listening to the radio late into the night.
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This week's second Ashes Test will be just as special, for the players of both teams, but it now holds particular importance for the Australian players who played below their best in Cardiff. Michael Clarke and Darren Lehmann will remind the players of the country's great record at the ground to lift their spirits. They will spend more time looking forward, but will stress the need to play positively and with due deference to the different conditions in England.
This may be the best chance Australia has to get back on an even keel on a pitch which usually boasts pace and bounce more akin to those in Australia - one reason why Australia has had such a good record there historically.
England enjoyed the slowness of the surface at Cardiff and out-batted and out-bowled Australia in the conditions, but I will be surprised if Lord's plays as slow. Mitchells Johnson and Starc should be more potent and the Australian batsmen will be much happier with the ball coming on to the bat a little more, but none of that will matter unless the Australians can show a preparedness to play with the discipline required to build pressure on the opposition.
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Craig McDermott will continue to emphasise the need to bowl the ball much fuller in England than in Australia. The Dukes ball swings, so it is essential to give it a chance to do that and if there is any movement off the pitch, it becomes even more critical.
I always found the pitch at Lord's gave some assistance to the new ball, but if one could get through that, then a big score beckoned on a ground on which one got value for shots. Once the ball beat the field there was no stopping it getting to the boundary.
I can't speak for the players, but I am getting excited about the this latest Lord's Test. I can't wait for it to start. The weather forecast looks good which may allow us to see a game befitting the occasion. And I am confident that Australia can bounce back.