MCC museum: A treasure trove for cricket lovers

LONDON: When England and Australia enact the latest episode of cricket's oldest rivalry at the historic Lord's, the date, June 25, would set memory bells ringing in the minds of Indian fans. 36 years ago, India upset the mighty West Indies in the final to famously win the 1983 Prudential World Cup at this hallowed venue.
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The actual trophy, which Kapil Dev Nikhanj so proudly held aloft that evening here, though still sits at the Marylebourne Cricket Club (MCC) Museum, a treasure trove of sports memorabilia, located here at Lord's.The replica occupies a place in BCCI's office at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Like the ground itself, the oldest sports museum in the world has a distinct Indian connection. You can find batting legend Sunil Gavaskar's famous 'skull cap' which he used in the latter part (1983 onwards) of his career. It was made of fiberglass, and the great opener once revealed that he was later told by the doctors that this home-made protective gear wouldn't have helped him prevent injury one bit from a bouncer! In August 1987 at Lord's, Gavaskar had worn that cap on way to scoring his last First-Class hundred (188) for the Rest of the World XI against MCC. One can see a picture of the original 'Little Master' at the gate of the Mound Stand at Lord's.
The museum's Indian connection doesn't end with Gavaskar or the World Cup trophy. Prominently displayed is the jersey of Sourav Ganguly, which he famously took off and waved from the Balcony in 2002 here after India chased down 326 in the NatWest final. There's the No. 10 jersey of Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev's blazer that he wore while playing for Northamptonshire, IPL jersey of the Chennai Super Kings and Chris Gayle's helmet when he turned out for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.
Just next to the '83 Prudential World Cup is placed The Ashes urn. The museum is a result of the MCC collecting cricketing memorabilia since 1864. The items on display include cricket kit used by Victor Trumper, Jack Hobbs, Don Bradman and Shane Warne, many items related to the career of W.G Grace and a stuffed sparrow which was 'bowled out' by Jahangir Khan of Cambridge University in delivering a ball to TN Pearce batting for MCC on 3 July 1936. There's also a battered copy of Wisden that helped sustain E W Swanton through his captivity in a Japanese POW camp.