A view of the 2nd Ashes Test of 1930 at Lord's taken from the end of the Mound Stand. The stands were allocated letters, starting at A (now the Warner) through to Q (Allen) which ended neatly with P for the pavilion, not that anyone referred to it that way. The letter J can be clearly seen here

Eighteen-year-old Brendon Bracewell signs an autograph on the eve of his Test debut for New Zealand v England, The Oval, July 28th 1978. He played in all three Tests on the tour but only three more overall, finishing with 14 wickets at 41.78

Garry Sobers pushes a single to reach his hundred, WI v England, 4th Test, Barbados, January 9th 1960. Rain ended play almost immediately afterwards. Sobers and Frank Worrell put on 399 for the 4th wicket. Sobers eventually made 226 while Worrell finished on 197*

A remarkable end to the first day of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG as Dennis Lillee took 3 for 1 in 12 balls, bowling Viv Richards via an inside edge with the final delivery of the day to leave West Indies 10 for 4. Lillee later described this as his favourite dismissal

Bishen Bedi walks off the SCG after leading India to an innings victory over an Australian side weakened by defections to World Series Cricket, 4th Test, January 12th 1978 (Holman Collection)

The Nawab of Pataudi Sr. and Wally Hammond return from an inspection on the rain-hit first day of the 3rd Test at The Oval in August 1946. Only 90 minutes play were possible and with only three days put aside for the match, it made a draw almost inevitable

Jimmy Cook and Andrew Hudson walk out to open the batting at Eden Gardens watched by a delighted Ali Bacher, November 10th 1991. This was South Africa's return to the international fold after 21 years isolation

Bill Kelly, the manager of the 1930 Australian team, lays a wreath at the Cenotaph to commemorate Anzac Day in 1930

New Zealand soldiers playing at a camp in Syria during World War 2

In the days before portable electronic devices and the internet, touring was often a fairly boring affair. Here Evan Gray, Jeremy Coney and Ewen Chatfield show off the mass of videos the New Zealand squad too with them to Pakistan in 1984 to fill the long evenings

The old pavilion at Lord's pictured in 1889. It was built in 1825 after the original pavilion on the site was destroyed by a fire. It was in turn replaced by the current pavilion built in the winter of 1889-90

Harold Larwood bowling to Don Bradman early on the third day of the 5th Test at The Oval, August 19th 1930. Although Bradman scored 232 and Australia won by an innings, it is said the idea of using Bodyline came to Douglas Jardine as he watched newsreel footage of the game

On November 1st 1994, wicketkeeper Phil Emery made his debut for Australia, summoned to Pakistan at short notice after Ian Healy broke a finger. It was Emery's only Test and in it he managed to break his left thumb and take a ball in the face. (David Munden)

An advertisement from the Cricketer in 1929 showing pads, gloves and keeping gloves for sale. The rudimentary designs are interesting, and the most expensive buckskin pads were £1.25 which is around £100 now

A shortlisted picture for the Wisden-MCC Photograph of the Year in 2017 ... David Rowe's shot of Surrey’s Sam Curran being completely cleaned up Essex's Paul Walter in a NatWest T20 Blast match at The Oval

One of the earliest photographs of cricket in India, showing British army officers playing on the parade ground in Kohat (now in Pakistan). This was taken by Major Keyes of the 1st Punjab Infantry between 1862 and 1864

Standing room only and improvised sun visors to the fore on the first day of Glamorgan's match v the Australians, St Helen's, July 31st 1926. They were rewarded with seeing the Australian dismissed for 283 and Glamorgan closing on 85 for 3. That was as good as it got and Glamorgan lost by 224 runs

In the autumn of 1972 part of the square at Lord's was relaid for the first time, partly to try to eliminate a perceived ridge which caused some balls to lift unexpectedly. John Arlott among others hinted that this ridge "may be no more than a figment of the imagination"

As the trees in England change colour, here's an even more autumnal picture of the game being played on the outskirts of Srinagar (Haziq Qadri)

The crowd walk on the sacred Lord's outfield at lunch during the MCC v Australians game, May 1926. For decades Lord's did now allow anyone onto the pitch other than at the end of major matches but there has been some relaxation of this in recent years but only in minor games

A job well done ... Bill Voce and Harold Larwood prepare to leave Australia at the end of the Bodyline series. The injured Larwood took the train to Freemantle before sailing home; Voce travelled with the bulk of the squad for the New Zealand leg of the tour

Slightly surprising that Walter Robins fielding on the drive was considered highly daring during the England v West Indies Lord's Test of 1933, one paper noting he "cheerfully made himself a target for the off drive". He and Douglas Jardine "took it in turns and vied with each other standing close"

A rare picture of Archie Jackson batting during the Australians tour match v Middlesex, Lord's, June 4th 1930. Jackson struggled in English conditions scoring 1097 runs 34.28 but he still showed glimpses of the outrageous talent he was, most notably when he scored 73 in the deciding Test at The Oval

A slightly surreal but still relatively well attended one-day Varsity match at Lord's in July 1941. The lack of meaningful practice matches meant the standard was low. Two of the Cambridge XI - Michael Cassey and Frederick Boult - were killed in the war

The Long Room in the pavilion at Lord's less than a decade after it was built in 1890. The oak tables remain and although much else has changed it would still be instantly recognisable were someone from then to walk through it today ... other than the presence of women!

WG Grace deep in thought during Gloucestershire's match against Kent at Cheltenham, August 8th 1898. Nobody was to know it at the time but the 1898 Cheltenham week saw Grace's last appearances there as he walked out on Gloucestershire in early 1899

Gundappa Viswanath is comprehensively bowled by Peter Lever for 10 in India's 1st innings of the drawn 2nd Test at Lord's in 1971. Viswanath started the series with 68 but scores of 9, 10, 8* and 0 before making a vital 33 in India's winning chase in the decider at The Oval

The skill of photographers in the days before the advent of SLRs with telephoto lenses never ceases to amaze me. Middlesex keeper Joe Murrell is cleaned up by Warwickshire's Harry Howell, Lord's, May 16th 1924

England women celebrate after beating New Zealand by 67 runs in the World Cup final, Lord's, August 1st 1993. It was 26 years before the men repeated their success (Eileen Langsley)

A picture I took of beach cricket as the sun sets in Goa, November 2006. Nothing unusual about this except the batsman in Greg Chappell, playing after a day talking to the Cricinfo editorial staff at a company get together

Mike Hendrick during the 1978-79 Ashes series where he took 19 wickets at 15.73. In 30 Tests he took 87 wickets at 25.83 without ever having achieved a five-wicket haul. Peter Mason wrote "his tendency to bowl impressive, rather than explosive, spells meant he was often in and out of the side"

Cricket in wartime on the beach at Bournemouth in 1915. Father appears to have decided to bat and the girls face an afternoon in the field ...

Former England players Tiger Smith, Sydney Barnes, Frank Woolley and Wilfred Rhodes watching the first day of the Ashes at Edgbaston, June 8th 1961. Although Rhodes was blind he remained an astute follower of the game and was said to be able to hear what strokes were being played

A picture I took of Bob Willis in his delivery stride during India's second innings of the 1st Test at Lord's in June 1982. Willis, in his first Test as England captain, took 6 for 101 - and nine wickets in the match - as England won by seven wickets

A relatively rare undignified moment as Don Bradman ducks a Bill Voce bouncer early in the 1932-33 MCC tour. Although only exposed to Harold Larwood once, in three matches v MCC before the 1st Test Bradman scored 103 runs at 17.17

A classic side-on picture of Harold Larwood in his delivery dating from 1932. Although only around 5'8" tall and weighing 11 stones, he had tremendous upper-body strength which contributed to him being the fastest bowler of his generation

A good photo by any standards, but given the equipment of the day a sensational one. Surrey allrounder Alan Peach loses his middle stump to Warwickshire's Harry Howell in the drawn Championship match at The Oval, June 16th 1927

Percy Jeeves pictured in August 1914. He made his Warwickshire debut in 1912 and in 50 first-class matches took 199 wickets at 20.03. He joined the army soon after the outbreak of war and was killed during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. PG Wodehouse named his character Jeeves after him

Ken Farnes bowling in the 1933 Varsity match where he was criticised for bowling almost exclusively leg theory to a packed leg-side field in Oxford's first innings. In all he took seven wickets in a rain-affected draw. His Test debut came less than a year later. He was killed on service in 1941

Fifty-year-old Jack Hobbs on his way to 117, Surrey v Somerset, July 26th 1933. It was his 89th and penultimate hundred at The Oval - his last came a fortnight later. He only made one more century - v Lancashire at Old Trafford the following May - and retired at the end of that summer

An unusual view of The Oval showing painters high on Gasometer No.1 during the 1931 New Zealand Test. Originally New Zealand has been given only one Test but "their good form and sportsmanship" led to extra games being added at The Oval and Old Trafford

Anyone who has played cricket (well, perhaps going back a few years) will recognise this line-marking machine used before boundary ropes became affordable and widespread. Users inevitably ended up with as much whitewash on their feet and legs as on the grass

The Smokers and Non Smokers in a group shot ahead of their end-of-season first-class match at Lord's, September 14th 1884. The three-day game was done and dusted before tea on the second day. More than 11,000 paid to watch raising a significant amount for the Cricketers' Fund

A picture which will resonate with every fast bowler at any level ... Bob Willis rests his weary feet up after a long day in the field in the County Championship in July 1978

Douglas Jardine chats to his players after the fall of a wicket, Australia v England, 1st Test, SCG, December 1932. England won the game with Harold Larwood taking 10 for 124 in the match. It was described as a "dour affair" with "the Australians unable to withstand an attack on leg stump"

The pavilion at Lord's not long after it opened in May 1890. It cost £20,000 and was completed in less than eight months. The earth removed to build it was moved to the southern corner of the ground where it became the base of the Mound Stand

An aerial picture of Lord's taken during the 1921 Ashes. By the time the Australians returned in 1926 the Grandstand and all the seating at the Nursery End had been replaced

I have to repeat what I said at this time last year ... Now that the season is done a thank you to all the BBC local radio commentators who have provided a quality backdrop to my summer and also to the increasingly professional county video streams which keep us in touch and entertained

This Ken Kelly picture of Bishan Bedi bowling in the nets before the 1st Test at Edgbaston in July 1979 is one of my favoutites - and was also one of Kelly's - and captures the elegance and poise as he prepares to bowl

An emotional Dickie Bird wipes away a tear after being given a guard of honour by England and India at the start of his 66th and last Test, Lord's, June 20th 1996. He retired from all cricket at the end of the following summer