Overview

Tucked away in the sleepy backstreets of suburban Leeds, Headingley staged possibly the most dramatic comeback in Test cricket when, in 1981, England beat Australia by 18 runs. England had followed on 227 runs behind and were 135 for 7 in their second innings before the combined heroics of Ian Botham, with the bat, and Willis, with the ball, beat odds of 500/1.

Since the initial first-class match was held there in 1899, against Kent, Headingley spectators have witnessed some great feats, including two Test triple-centuries by Don Bradman in 1930 and 1934. During the first innings Bradman scored 309 of his eventual 334 in a single day, the only instance of 300 in a day in a Test. The Surrey left-hander John Edrich also made a Test triple hundred here, against New Zealand in 1965. And, fittingly, Geoff Boycott brought up his hundreth hundred against Australia in 1977.

Test cricket had first come to Headingley nearly 100 years earlier, in 1889, one year after the ground was established. The home of Yorkshire County Cricket, the Headingley ground wasn't actually owned by the club until they finally bought it in 2005 for £12 million.

The ground is named after a suburb of the city of Leeds, and it is linked to a rugby league ground, home of the Leeds Rhinos. Unusually, there is no pavilion at Headingley; players have to make do with a modern dressing-room in the stands. The wicket is variable, and - particularly when there is cloud cover, too - aids seam bowling.