JACOB PHILLIPS at Lord's: Haunted by the roars of the World Cup final and the tension of Jofra Archer’s Test debut, the home of cricket had a ghostly feel to it
Turning at the end of his run-up Middlesex captain Steven Finn twists and begins to run down the slope towards the Lord’s pavilion.
He has given himself the responsibility of bowling the last six balls of the Surrey innings.
His opponent Jamie Overton stands dead still. With one stubborn swing, he launches Finn into the Compton stand. The next ball lands on the second tier of the grandstand.
Usually on a London Derby Lord's is alive. The stands are constantly moving as spectators rush to and from the bar between overs. There is an ant nest-like feel to the ground as people scramble in different directions to find their seats.
The constant sound of stewards asking punters to wait until the end of the over to return to their seats hums through the ground.
Last year, when the London derby took place at Lord's it attracted a record-breaking crowd 27,773 spectators, the highest attendance for any English domestic T20 match.
It is hard not to think about what could have been if things were different. In a match which included 22 sixes a crowd catch or two would have been expected. Instead, the sound of cork on concrete echoed around the ground.
County players have rolled back the years - fetching the ball themselves
Middlesex fans were also denied the chance to toast Joe Cracknell, who has risen through the cricketing ranks in North London, on debut in the T20 Blast.
The 20-year-old left a lasting impression at Lords when he left a hole in the wall above the scorer’s box, just below father time.
Surrey fans were also denied the opportunity to see their star-in-the-making Will Jacks bully a mediocre Middlesex attack, hitting 55 from 30 balls helping project Surrey to 218.
The return of Hashim Amla to Lord's was also a sight to behold, particularly when the South African legend got down on one knee to catapult a Finn delivery just shy of the pavilion.
Reported from the Home of Cricket for the first time this evening. It was eerily quiet but it’s not every day you get a box at Lords! Congratulations to @surreycricket on their first T20 win at Lords in 6 years. https://t.co/Bc7GqY1zFJ pic.twitter.com/E6zlsLKEl6
— Jacob Phillips (@Jakey_Phil) September 14, 2020
Haunted by the roars of the World Cup final and the tension of Jofra Archer’s Test debut, the home of cricket had a ghostly feel to it.
It felt more like walking into a place of times gone by. Stepping through the gates, you were entering a past palace than a sporting arena and without the constant fireworks which accompany key moments in T20 games, a jacket had to be worn for once.
Without a crowd to absorb every audible joy, every strike of the bat on ball echoed through the ground. Each fielding instruction and sledge could also be heard. That proved for interesting hearing when a riled up Gareth Batty gave Cracknell a huge send-off after bowling the Middlesex No.3.
Hashim Amla and Will Jacks inspired Surrey
Batty’s enthusiasm led to a few words with Middlesex opener Stephen Eskinazi that ought not to be written down.
It was also easy to tell when Middlesex felt down and out during their run chase. There will be a few sore throats in the Middlesex dressing room as they did their best to compensate for the lack of fans, before recognising it was in vain.
Away from the pitch, the Surrey victory song could be heard beyond the nursery ground. In particular, the sound of banging on the floor and windows of the visitors' dressing room rocked through St John's Wood.
Leaving Lord's is almost as pleasant as walking into the ground. On a busy match day, you have to negotiate a stream of singing fans while cricket ball chasing children dive dramatically in front of you, recreating some of the action they have just seen.
Usually, there is roughly a half-hour wait to get from your seat into St John’s Wood Tube Station.
Instead, the wander out of the ground took seconds. A nod and thanks to the security and then the sound of an oyster card buzzing within minutes, sitting on a half-empty carriage where no one is aware of the sporting spectacle that has just taken place above their heads.
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