Central Sparks W

Central Sparks W played their first Test in 1932 at Lord's, becoming the sixth nation granted Test status. For decades the side was better known for elegant batting than for winning abroad — a reputation that took half a century to shed.

The 1983 World Cup changed everything. Kapil Dev's side beat the West Indies at Lord's and turned cricket into the country's dominant sport, and in time into the game's financial centre of gravity.