Old Trafford to honour veteran Indian wicketkeeper with named stand: Report

Old Trafford to honour Farokh Engineer with named stand

Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Farokh Engineer is set to be honoured with a stand named after him at Old Trafford in Manchester, alongside West Indies great Clive Lloyd. According to a PTI report, the tribute comes as a heartfelt gesture from Lancashire, the county team both legends represented during their playing days.

While Engineer spent over ten years playing for Lancashire, Lloyd spent twenty years with the team and made significant contributions to its history.

The report states that the stand-naming ceremony can take place on the first day of the Test, which starts on July 23. After three intense games, England has a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

“It is a fitting honour for both legends of the club," a source told PTI.

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Engineer scored 5942 runs, took 429 catches, and effected 35 stumpings in 175 games for Lancashire from 1968 to 1976.

After coming to Lancashire as an overseas cricket player in the early 1970s, Lloyd, the two-time World Cup-winning captain of the West Indies, changed the county's fortunes.

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When Mumbai-born Farokh Engineer made his debut for Lancashire, the club had gone over 15 years without a major title. However, he played a key role in their resurgence, helping them win the Gillette Cup four times between 1970 and 1975. The Gillette Cup, a knockout one-day tournament, ran from 1963 to 1980 and was later known as the Friends Provident Cup.

Later this week, Lloyd and Engineer would both be inscribed in Lancashire history. Interestingly, Brabourne Stadium, where Engineer played the majority of his cricket matches, does not have a stand named after him.

“They were incredible times and Old Trafford was a marvellous place to be. People would come for miles to see us play," Engineer said while speaking to the Lancashire website some years ago.

“From the Old Trafford dressing room, we could see Warwick Road railway station, and before the game, we would see packed trains emptying their passengers on the platform. We could hear the chanting and the excited chatter and laughter," Engineer added.

The former Indian cricketer recalled receiving fan mail while he was playing. Engineer spent eighteen years as a professional cricketer.

“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," Engineer said.