What comes to your mind when someone speaks about Lord’s Cricket Ground? The Long Room, The Pavilion. And the dress code of members.
But there’s a geographical anomaly about the iconic venue that’s talked about a lot. What’s that?
We are talking about ‘the slope’.
Most cricket grounds have a flat base. But Lord’s is slightly different, with a slope running across its ground.
It’s unusual for a cricket ground to have a slope, isn’t it? So why does the Lord’s have a slope?
There’s some backstory to it.
The History of Lord’s Slope
Even before the Lord’s came up at the current location, there existed a duck pond. And it was located on the slope of a hill.
At the start of the 19th century, the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) was on the lookout for a place to play cricket in private. They zeroed in on the duck pond situated in St John’s Wood.
Thomas Lord leased the land to build the current Lord’s Cricket Ground. The ground came up on the slope of the hill in 1814.
And that’s why the ground has an incline from north to south. The slope runs 2.5 metres deep from the Grandstand to the Taverns and Mound Stands.
Also Read | 5 Legendary Batters Who Never Scored a Test Century at Lord’s
Does the Slope Affect Cricket Matches?
Well, cricket matches generally don’t see major issues. But the slope poses some challenges to players.
Bowlers need to be aware of which end they are bowling from so that they don’t miss their lines. Interestingly, they have their preferred bowling ends.
Some bowl from the Pavilion End and bring the ball in for right-handers towards the slope. And some bowl from the Nursery End to move the ball out with the slope.
As for batters, they need to make changes in their stance based on which end they are batting at.
Wicketkeepers also make slight changes in their positions. If they are keeping at the Nursery End, they stand slightly on the right side. And it’s the exact opposite at the Pavilion End, with keepers taking positions slightly towards the left side.
Why not flatten the slope then?
Apparently, the owners of the ground, MCC, are against making any changes. They want this unique characteristic to remain with the ground.
And flattening the ground will be a tedious task. The ground will first need to be dug up, with the stands also rebuilt.
That means the Lord’s won’t be able to host any cricket match for a good five or six years. And anyway, the slope doesn’t have a major effect on the game.
Read Next | List of International Cricket Stadiums in India
