LONDON: The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), the owners of the Home of Cricket, Lord’s Cricket Ground has declared that as part of refurbishment of the iconic ground’s facilities ahead of the 2019 season, new ‘Honours Boards’ will be installed in both home and away dressing rooms.
One of the most significant changes in terms of milestones and achievements is that centuries and five-wicket hauls at Lord’s in one-day internationals (ODIs), in both men’s and women’s matches, are now recognised within the dressing rooms. Previously, the names of only those players who made a century or took five wickets in a Test Match could be seen.
This new addition means that some of the names who didn’t make it on to the Honours Board during their Test match careers, such as Michael Atherton, Ricky Ponting and Muttiah Muralitharan, are now officially immortalised above the doors leading out to the players’ balconies in the famous Lord’s Pavilion.
The addition of ODIs includes performances in women’s internationals at Lord’s, with Anya Shrubsole’s figures of 6-46 now adorning the wall after a famed England victory over India in 2017 to win the ICC Women’s World Cup.
Lisa Keightley of Australia and the England trio of Claire Taylor, Sarah Taylor and Caroline Atkins are the first women’s players to see their names recognised for ODI centuries, whilst Australia’s Cathryn Fitzpatrick and England’s Katherine Brunt join Shrubsole in being celebrated for five-wicket hauls.
MCC CEO & secretary Guy Lavender said: “We are delighted to now be able to recognise the same achievements for One-Day Internationals as we have done for Test Matches for many years. This is a landmark moment for Lord’s, with women’s cricket now documented in the dressing rooms for the first time.
“The Honours Boards are amongst the most popular attractions for the many visitors to the Home of Cricket. There is a huge amount of prestige for players to see their name inscribed in history, so it is appropriate for a new installation of the boards to take place ahead of what will be such a busy year of cricket at Lord’s.”
