Manchester Test: Lancashire to honour THIS Indian legend along with Sir Clive Lloyd with individual stands on opening day
West Indies' Sir Clive Lloyd and India's Farokh Engineer, two of Lancashire's biggest legends are set to be honoured with individual stands as a mark of respect and gratitude for their service to the County. While Lloyd was part of the club for close to two decades, Engineer represented the Lancs for a decade, with both being notable assets during their respective tenures.
Sources close to the Lancashire club have informed the Press Trust of India (PTI) that the stand-naming ceremony shall be held prior to the start of the match. Former Indian batter Dilip Vengsarkar is expected to be part of the ceremony along with key officials of the Lancashire club.
Engineer's stint with Lancashire lasted 175 matches between 1968 and 1976, tallying 5942 runs and 464 dismissals behind the wickets. His exemplary performances as wicket-keeper batter was significant to Lancashire's success during this period.
Lloyd, one of international cricket's greatest captains and a two-time World Cup winner, was also responsible for increasing the standards of the county with his arrival in the early 1970s. While Engineer is set to gain immortal status at Lancashire, he ironically doesn't have a stand named after him at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai where he played most of his cricket.
In a chat with the Lancashire Cricket Club few years ago, Engineer reflected on his playing days when he explained how the stardom of the squad had attracted spectators at unprecedented levels.
"They were incredible times, and Old Trafford was a marvellous place to be. People would come for miles to see us play," Engineer said.
"From the Old Trafford dressing room we could see Warwick Road railway station and before the game we would see packed trains emptying the passengers on the platform. We could hear the chanting and the excited chatter and laughter."
The Lancashire side of the 1970s were famous for their aggressive style of play with bat and ball, and had a side filled with bona fide superstars. Engineer recalls how the extent of fan frenzy left him pleasantly surprised at times. Such was Engineer's romance with Manchester that he chose to settle down in the city after his retirement.
"It was amazing, our lockers would be stuffed full of requests for autographs and invitations to parties. Everyone in England was talking about that great team, names like Clive Lloyd, Harry Pilling, Peter Lever and Ken Shuttleworth," he said.
"That buzz lasted for years and we were the most famous one-day team in the land."
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