This is a big book on a big subject (each double page spread is 640 mm wide - over two feet square). The world's Test cricket grounds are big slices of real estate, even though the real action takes place on only 22 yards of wicket. This book shows the major sporting arenas all around the globe wherever cricket's great battles are fought. Some of these grounds are over 100 years old - Lord's saw its first match in 1814 - although the spectators of that period would recognise little, if anything, of the area or the ground today. Each of the grounds has unique attributes and charm - and each illustration here provides a distinctive and colourful vantage point.It includes 200 photograph captions that are enlivened with anecdotes from Dickie Bird MBE, who umpired in 66 Test Matches from 1973 to 1996. Each ground photograph (by Patrick Eagar) is accompanied by a brief history and statistical section. Nearly fifty grounds from ten different countries are included, including some (such as Worcester and Hampshire) for aesthetic reasons alone.