Advertisement
Test Debut: Often referred to as the ultimate “home of cricket”, the Lord’s cricket stadium in London has witnessed numerous iconic and most memorable innings over decades that still reverberate in the annals of international cricket. Originally established in 1814, the Lord’s stadium has an overwhelming seating capacity and can easily accommodate up to 31,180 spectators as per the MCC’s (Marylebone Cricket Club) ongoing redevelopment plans. While Lord’s has always served as the ultimate battleground for international cricketers, it has also proved to be a challenging pitch for the new bowlers. The slope of the Lord’s ground runs north to south with a gradient of 2.5m, making it challenging for both seamers and spinners to handle the resistance and knock down the batsmen with their formidable bowling attacks. Although a bit hard to crack, a few bowlers have undoubtedly conquered the arduous pitch of the Lord’s and annihilated the opponents with their fierce bowling exploits.
In this article we will take a look at the top five bowlers who conquered Lord’s with the best bowling figures in their test debut matches.
| S.No | Bowler | Match | Venue | BF |
| 1 | Robert Arnold Lockyer Massie | AUS vs ENG (1972) | Lord’s Cricket Ground | 8/53 |
| 2 | Dominic Cork | WI vs ENG (1995) | Lord’s Cricket Ground | 7/43 |
| 3 | Gus Atinkson | WI vs ENG (2024) | Lord’s Cricket Ground | 7/45 |
| 4 | Alec Victor Bedser | IND vs ENG (1946) | Lord’s Cricket Ground | 7/49 |
| 5 | William Henry Copson | WI vs ENG (1939) | Lord’s Cricket Ground | 5/73 |
Advertisement
-
Bob Massie – Australia vs England (1972)
Former Australian cricketer, Robert Arnold Lockyer Massie, popularly referred to as “Bob Massie”, proved to be a nightmare for the England cricket squad in his debut test match at Lord’s as he picked up a total of eight wickets, conceding only 53 runs. Although it was his debut test match against the hosts, Bob Massie’s iconic “16-wicket haul” against England devastated the top-order batting lineup of the England cricket team and established himself as one of the most reliable bowlers of the team in the test format. Although Australia ended up losing the 1972 Ashes Series, Bob Massie undoubtedly outshined as one of the most dynamic bowlers in the test format.
-
Dominic Cork – West Indies vs England (1995)
Dominic Cork delivered his sensational test debut for England against Australia in 1995 at Lord’s, which is still reckoned as one of the most impressive and formidable test debut for a bowler at the Lord’s cricket ground. Although Cork witnessed a slow start at the beginning, his second innings against West Indies, Dominic Cork picked up a total of seven wickets, allowing only 43 runs, which undoubtedly destroyed the West Indies batting lineup. Cork’s phenomenal ability to swing the ball both ways with a commendable command on the pitch of Lord’s played a major role in dismissing prominent batsmen of the West Indies squad including Jimmy Adams, Ottis Gibson, Courtney Walsh, Richie Richardson and more.
-
Gus Atinkson – West Indies vs England (2024)
England’s test debut bowler, Gus Atinkson, garnered huge praise and honor for delivering a power-packed test debut bowling attack against West Indies in the ongoing England vs West Indies test series (2024) at Lord’s. Although the match was assumed to be a tribute to England’s James Anderson, who played his career’s last test match at Lord’s, Gus Atinkson truly stole the spotlight with his formidable seven-wicket haul that helped England’s side in restricting West Indies to a modest total of 121 runs in the first test match and solidified his place as one of the top debut bowlers with best bowling figures at the cricket battleground of the Lord’s in London.
-
Alec Victor Bedser – India vs England (1946)
Alec Victor Bedser, often hailed and commemorated by millions of his fans as one of the most prominent bowlers in the history of England cricket, made his iconic test debut against India in 1946 at Lord’s and undoubtedly captured the attention of cricket aficionados from around the world. Bedser’s stellar bowling exploits dismissed seven Indian top-notch batsmen and restricted the Indian cricket team to a modest total of 200 runs. The “7/49” bowling figures from the 1946 test series against India at Lord’s not only proved to be a highlight of Alec Victor Bedser’s career but also established him as one of the greatest test debut bowlers with the best bowling figures at Lord’s.
-
WH Copson – West Indies vs England (1939)
The second test match between West Indies and England in the 1939 test series proved to be a game changer for test debut English fast bowler, William Henry Copson, popularly referred to as “Bill Copson”. William Henry Copson managed to pick up a total of five crucial wickets for the West Indies cricket team, conceding a total of 73 runs. England eventually defeated the West Indies cricket team and captured the series 1-0 with two matches drawn and William Henry Copson garnered immense acknowledgement for his bowling exploits at the Lord’s as a debut bowler in the test format.