Father Time has overseen some changes from his long-standing perch on a weather vane high above Lord’s.

In recent years, as cricket and its historic home have sought to modernise, he has contended with floodlights, a futuristic media centre and – heaven forbid – players taking the field in colours other than white.

But the thought of Lord’s branded whisky and gin may have him in a spin all over again.

At the summer’s first Test Match at the ground this morning its owner, the Marylebone Cricket Club, will begin a campaign to become one of world sport’s biggest brands. Inspired by the marketing successes of Britain’s other big sporting grounds, such as the All England Club, the home of Wimbledon, the MCC believes that the time is right to release the great untapped potential of Lord’s and the instantly recognisable images associated with it.

Father Time will find himself on polo shirts and he is almost certain to be followed by the Ashes urn, which is the property of the club. The name of Thomas Lord, after whom the ground is named, is already being evoked in the interests of selling alcohol.

His signature adorns bottles of Lord’s Premium 12-year-old Whisky (70cl), currently on sale for £19.99 at some branches of Waitrose. Lord’s Premium London Dry Gin £14.99 can be found in certain branches of Threshers. As thousands of spectators gather to watch England against New Zealand, the expanded marketing department will also be hard at work. The MCC has ambitious plans. “If we do this properly, we can create one of the world’s leading brands,” said Keith Bradshaw, the club’s secretary.

Mr Bradshaw is an Australian, which enables him to take an outsider’s view of a club that was once considered, unfairly or not, to be stuffy.

He visited the All England Club last year and saw that its success could be replicated across London. “Next year, with an Ashes Test and Twenty20 cricket, is so important for us,” he said. “We are competing with other major grounds and paying more to host major matches than ever.” Nor is the vast international popularity of cricket, and the potential that brings, lost on Mr Bradshaw. “Cricket is so global now that we could link up with the cricket-playing countries and the emerging ones around the world,” he said. “Designers have been into Lord’s to see how we can maximise the potential of each brand.”

Jon Robinson, the club’s marketing manager, also has big plans.

After strong initial sales, Lord’s whisky and gin will soon go on sale across Britain. “Lord’s wine could be the next product and suncream, which is sold in the Lord’s shop, could go on sale in the big stores,” he added. “We are trying to build a Lord’s hierarchy. How much money will we make out of this? How long is a piece of string?

We are not doing any projections for this year.”

Money raised is expected to go not towards the £200 million redevelopment of the ground but to the MCC’s “spirit of cricket” initiative, which promotes the game.

Mr Bradshaw knows that he must tread carefully. “We have to brand the home of cricket carefully. We do not want to cheapen it.”

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