Lord’s relaxed its strict pavilion dress code on Tuesday as members will not be required to wear jackets, owing to temperatures soaring into the mid-30s Celsius for the start of the county championship game between Middlesex and Sussex.

Much of Britain is gripped by a heatwave with temperatures expected to threaten all time records, with predictions of the mercury rising above 40 degrees. “MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) has advised us that the dress regulations in the pavilion will be relaxed on (Tuesday) 19 July,” a statement on the Middlesex County Cricket Club website said. “Gentlemen in the pavilion will not be required to wear a jacket, although MCC will still require gentlemen to wear ties.”

It’s not the first time hot weather has forced a relaxation of one of British sport’s most traditional venues with the rules also being relaxed back in 2018. The stifling heat also led to two county championship games between Gloucestershire and Hampshire and Northants and Lancashire finishing at 4.30 pm local time.