Which way will Lord’s leap?

In the rarefied circles of the sporting establishment a decision will soon be made affecting not just the future of 17 of the most hallowed acres in the land, but the very game of cricket itself. The MCC has been conducting a debate about Lord’s, primarily its redevelopment, with a nod to future expansion of the limited-overs game. This has boiled down to a binary choice for members: the MCC committee’s overwhelming recommendation, unsurprisingly, is for its own ‘Masterplan’, against the outsider, known as the Morley-Rifkind plan.

It’s a rum sort of club, the MCC. Primarily devoted, it seems, to keeping people out, it has people on the inside who don’t want much to change. Its committee structure is opaque and this acrimonious long-running debate has led to high-profile resignations, including that of Sir John Major in 2011. Lord’s is a wonderful ground, of course — a sunny day on the top of the Compton or Edrich stands is life-enhancing.