Bill Ponsford and Don Bradman resume after lunch on the second day of the 4th Ashes Test at Leeds, July 21st 1934. The pair, who came together with Australia on 39 for 3 overnight, put on 388 for the fourth wicket in five-and-a-half hours. Ponsford made 181 and Bradman 304

A brilliant photo by Adrian Murrell of a brilliant catch ... Jonty Rhodes catches Robert Croft during an Emirates Trophy match at Edgbaston, August 18th 1998

Frank Worrell (239*) and Everton Weekes (108*) return to the pavilion at the end of the second day, England v West Indies, 3rd Test, Nottingham, July 21st 1950. The pair added 283 for the third wicket as West Indies won by ten wickets

The picture of The Oval under water on the final day of the 5th Test in 1968 is famous. This one is from three years earlier. On July 20th 1965 Surrey were about to start their third-day chase of 204 to beat Middlesex when a massive downpour of rain and hail left the ground submerged

Waiting in the sun for the gates to open, MCC v Yorkshire, Lord's, May 2nd 1953. Rain delayed the start by three hours and then MCC were skittled for 87. The sporting world's attention was at Wembley where Blackpool beat Bolton 4-3 in the Matthews final

Rose tinted spectacles perhaps, but what I would give to be eight again and listening to a Test with this line-up commentating. The Oval 1970. Brian Johnston, John Arlott, Trevor Bailey, Bill Frindall, Neil Durden-Smith and Richie Benaud. A handful of years away from CMJ ... Heaven

WG Grace at Lord's on his 50th birthday, July 18th 1898. Grace captained the Gentlemen v Players (the game had been rescheduled to mark the day) but lost the toss and spent the entire day in the field. Around 20,000 turned out to watch

For many years Essex's Robin Hobbs was labelled one of the last exponents of what was seen as the dying art of leg spin. He played the last of his seven Tests in 1971 - it was 21 years before another specialist legspinner played for England (Patrick Eagar)

A publicity picture of Garry Sobers taken at Lord's at the start of West Indies' 1963 tour of England. In the five Tests Sobers scored 322 runs at 40.25 and took 20 wickets at 28.55. On his five tours of England he scored 1820 runs at 53.53 and took 62 wickets at 31.58

A sad day for cricket with the loss of a genuine great. Garry Sobers toasts the crowd after West Indies' crushing innings and 226 runs win at Lord's on August 27th 1973. Sobers signed off his last Test in England with 150* and six catches (Patrick Eagar)

Ricky Ponting looks unimpressed as Rudi Koertzen gives him out caught at slip on review, England v Australia, 2nd Test, Lord's, July 17th 2009 (AFP). Ponting had been hit on the pad but Koertzen was of the opinion he had inside edged it first and wanted to check it carried

Ian Botham is congratulated on dismissing Graeme Wood, 3rd Ashes Test, Leeds, July 16th 1981. Botham had not taken a five-for as captain, but replaced by Mike Brearley he bounced back with 6 for 95 ... and then came his heroics with the bat ...

Len Hutton returns to the pavilion at lunch soon after reaching his 100th hundred, Surrey v Yorkshire, The Oval, July 16th 1951. More than 15,000 turned out on a Monday to see Hutton, 61* overnight, reach the landmark

Absolutely love this picture of evening cricket at Thornton, Bradford by George Wood. Well worth checking out his other work. The club, which plays in the Halifax League, was founded in 1853

A packed house watches the 2nd Test between New Zealand and England at the Basin Reserve, Wellington, March 26th 1951. England won a low-scoring game by six wickets after drawing the 1st Test (C)

Malcolm Marshall batting one-handed, Eng v WI, 3rd Test, Leeds, July 14th 1984. Marshall sustained a cracked left thumb in two places fielding on the first morning. He helped Larry Gomes to his hundred and "enjoyed the dramatics, his bat wielded like a cleaver" (Patrick Eagar)

Ahead of their time. Tony Greig and John Snow model cricket clothing of the future in a photoshoot in 1973. Coloured shirts (with numbers on the back) but not so sure about the trousers. Four years later World Series Cricket heralded the arrival of coloured clothing

Mike Hendrick and Mike Selvey head out to resume on the fifth day of the 3rd England-West Indies Test at Old Trafford, July 13th 1976. England were 125 for 9 still needing 425 to win, hence the smattering of spectators - officially there were 100 in the ground

A lovely shot of the view from the scorers box in the Grandstand at Lord's, August 1946. The phone was to enable contact with the scorebox and the printing office below them. The printing office boasted at producing cards up to the fall of the last wicket (Picture Post)

In 1897 A W Gamage Ltd of London ( who claimed to be the ‘world’s largest sport and athletic outfitter’) made a blue ball specially for the ladies game as it was feared (by men, obviously) women would "swoon" at the sight of a red one. This ball was originally blue

Surrey's players enjoy a celebratory tea on the second day of their Championship match v Hampshire at Southampton, September 12th 1971. In the afternoon they had secured the bonus bowling point needed to give the the Championship title (C)

Don Bradman comes back at tea 220 not out, 3rd Ashes Test, Leeds, July 11th 1930. By the close he had made 309 and he went on to make 334. Alan Kippax is behind him

Fifty years ago today -a few balls from the infamous Saturday evening session in the 3rd Test between England and West Indies, Old Trafford, July 10th 1976. The guts shown by 45-year-old Brian Close, with almost no protection, still stands out, refusing to be bowed despite clear pain from the blows

Fifty years ago next month women were finally allowed to play in the middle at Lord's with an ODI between England and Australia. It's taken another half century for them to be allowed to play a Test match there

Street cricket close to Bridgetown, Barbados in March 1973 by Patrick Eagar who took some outstanding pictures during the series both on and off the field

Fifty years ago tailenders had no protection other than a box, a thigh pad and a hope fast bowlers would pitch it up ... but by the mid 1970s the old customs were on the way out and any batsman was fair game ... Michael Holding lets fly at Derek Underwood, 3rd Test, Old Trafford, July 9th 1976

Men of 6th Airborne Division Signals play cricket, 31st July 1944. LCpl M A Bate is at the crease

Australia’s Glenn Maxwell is bowled by England’s Chris Jordan during the Vitality IT20 at Edgbaston, June 27th 2018. Mike Egerton's sensational photo using light to the full was shortlisted for the 2018 Wisden Cricket Photograph of the Year

Mike Brearley on his way to 132*, Middlesex v Australians, Lord's, June 14th 1981. This was the Australians last game before the 1st Test and we all thought Brearley's international career was over. But within a month he had replaced Ian Botham as England captain and the rest is history

Pakistan's Asif Masood during the 1974 England tour. He used to begin his run-up with a backward step before a loping approach to the wicket which John Arlott likened to "Groucho Marx chasing a pretty waitress". He played 16 Tests over eight years taking 38 wickets at 41.26