Lord's: Growing up, the sound of summer was Richie Benaud, often exclaiming "marvellous."  His voice, combined with scorching January heat is as clear in my memory as living it two decades ago.

Australian all the way: The reporter at the Ashes at Lord’s Cricket Ground.Credit:Latika Bourke

Cricket was a family affair. My dad loved it and passed his love of the game to my seven siblings including my immediately older brother and sister.

Earning the cred to hang out with them was hard-fought but I learned from about 10-years-old that cricket guaranteed access. So I learned the rules of the game, knew why there was a difference between a red and white ball. I fell in love with Michael Bevan when he smashed that four at the SCG to win the one-dayer against the West Indies.

But growing up in Bathurst, cricket was purely a television or lounge-room sport and remained so for me until this week when a British mate landed a spare ticket to the second day of the second Test at Lord's.

Lord’s is the only international cricket ground where you can brings your own bottle of wine.Credit:Latika Bourke

"Bring a bottle of Australian wine," was his only condition of the invitation. "Lord's is the only cricket ground in the world where you can bring your own bottle." Surely too good to be true, I thought, as I presented my bottle and bag for inspection at security.

"No sandpaper in here then?" the guard grinned cheekily.  Haha. Very funny. Thanks very much David Warner et al.

While sandpaper might be on the illicit items list, my corkscrew and bottle of Charles Cimicky Shiraz were very much approved.

Also welcome was your own water bottles and food. Having paid £12 for a single gin and tonic at Wembley Stadium watching the roundball, the BYO policy went a long way to making a day out at Lord's feel much more about the game, the socialising and the experience. A welcome change from the feeling of being ripped-off when buying often-greasy food and grog at inflated prices.

I had little expectations of what experiencing cricket in real life might be like aside from fearing a full day of the game as the main event rather than a background accompaniment to work or pottering about the house, might prove dull. I've also long secretly thought Test cricket was incompatible with modern life and preferred one-dayers.

Extremely civilised: Cricket fans enjoying at picnic lunch at Lord’s Cricket Ground.Credit:Latika Bourke

But how wrong I was.

Spending a whole day you've set aside to embrace the game and absorb the atmosphere, without being spoon-fed by commentary proved entirely different to other live-sports I've been to in the past (Premier League in the UK, A-League in Australia, tennis and an occasional AFL game). And I'm certain much of it had to do with Lord's itself as a venue, which was, to quote Benaud, really was "marvellous."

Games staged at massive stadia like Wembley often lose me. Leaving Wembley two minutes too late leads to a zombie-like herd mass march to the Tube and adds a good hour and more to your journey home.

But Lord's capacity, just shy of 30,000 (increasing to 31,500 by 2020) makes it wonderfully intimate and the ban on the flags, fancy dress and the Barmy Army plus food options ranging from gourmet sausage rolls to Poké bowls complete with Australian-quality coffee trucks made for a less ra-ra football-like affair with thoroughly genteel atmosphere overall.

Rain clouds threatened to gather behind the members stand but unlike days one and two didn't halt play. Instead they made for a spectacular backdrop to the game, with our seats at the end of the pitch facing the gorgeous red-bricked Victorian Pavilion.

My only dilemma was whether I could bring myself to actively support Australia, given the team still includes David Warner.

My hesitance lasted exactly seven minutes when Hazelwood claimed Jason Roy for a duck. My reaction was as spontaneous as it was swift.

I found myself exclaiming aloud and fist-pumping into the air a very excited 'yes' as the Poms around me groaned. Warner or not, there was doubt about whether I'd be cheering along the Aussies.

Where better to rediscover that joy as an Aussie in London than at the Home of Cricket itself?

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