To redevelop or not to redevelop Lord's

Lord's is just the perfect mix of new and old. There are some historic places that you respect but they just seem run down, perhaps in need of a lick of paint. But all the new stands at Lord's complement the splendour of the pavilion perfectly and the proposed new structures at the Nursery End look to be perhaps the best yet.

Lord's is not known as the home of the sport because it's prepared to sell its soul to the highest bidder. It has its reputation because it's an arena where everyone who enters – player or spectator – feels a sense of tradition and history. Even now, 30 years after first entering the ground, I feel privileged when I drive through the Grace Gates or walk through the Long Room. Renaming such areas of the ground, which would be inevitable should rights be sold, would cheapen the experience. Looking at the dressing-room honours boards that represent those who have scored hundreds or taken five-wicket hauls at the ground, would become like reading the menu at a Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise.