Established: 1814
Home team: Middlesex
Capacity: 30,000
Ends: Pavilion End, Nursery End
Fixtures: Australia: 2nd Test - July 16-20; 2nd ODI - September 6; 4th ODI - September 12.
The home of English cricket - indeed world cricket - it has been suggested that Lord's inspires the opposition more than it does England.
In the dark days of the mid/late nineties a case could certainly be made for that theory, but that may have been more down to the standard of cricket played by England than any omens.
England have not won a Test there since 2005 - and that was against Bangladesh. In recent years it has become a batting paradise - despite the infamous slope - and has produced a fair number of draws.
Despite the MCC's reputation for stuffiness, the ground has been extensively redeveloped to keep it at the forefront of cricketing venues, and many of the additions - notably the futuristic Media Centre at the Nursery End - are strikingly modern without diminishing the famous venue's historical power.
