Detective Chief Inspector Coburg and Sergeant Lampson are recovering from a devastating bomb attack on the Café de Paris when they receive a call asking them to go to the disused Lord's Underground station where the body of a man has been discovered outside the formerly busy station. The dead man was the victim of a brutal attack, beaten to death by what appears to have been a cricket bat.

Could the dead man be associated with the British Empire XI, made up of players from Great Britain and far-flung corners of the globe, who are playing at the world-famous Lord's cricket ground? Coburg and Lampson are put in a spin by this complex case.