Old Trafford, Manchester | Everything that you need to know about the Cricket World Cup venue

History:

The site was first used as a cricket ground back in 1857 when the Manchester Cricket Club moved onto the meadows of the de Trafford estate. Old Trafford's first year was a rather bad one as it was accessible only along a footpath from the Railway station. In the Roses match of 1875, significant people gathered to see the Roses match. It was later claimed that nearly 28,000 spectators attended the match over the three days. In 1884, Old Trafford became only the second ground, after The Oval, to stage Test cricket. The first day was lost due to heavy rains as the match ended in a draw between England and Australia.

Ground:

The cricket stadium is near the football stadium, five minutes away down Warwick Road and Sir Matt Busby Way, in the borough of Trafford, in Greater Manchester. Its normal capacity is 15,000. The two ends of the ground are the James Anderson End to the north and the Brian Statham End to the south, renamed in honour of the former Lancashire and England player. Old Trafford has a reputation for unpredictable weather. It is the only ground in England that a test match has been abandoned without a single ball being bowled. And this has happened twice, first in 1890 and then in 1938.

Profile:

Old Trafford, situated to the south of the Manchester City center, forms a famous sporting double act and many regards it as the “other” Old Trafford. It is the third home of the Lancashire County Cricket Club. The Old Trafford has hosted test matches since 1884 and remains a special venue with a rich history. It has also been home to an India vs Pakistan match in the 1999 World Cup and nearly 22,000 watched as India thrashed Pakistan yet again in the World Cup. In 1956, the first ten-wicket haul in a single innings was achieved by England bowler Jim Laker who ended up with figures of 19 wickets for 90 runs.

Records:

1. Tests:

In the test, matches played at Old Trafford, the highest team score posted here is 656/8 dec by Australia against England on July 23, 1964. The first of the matches were played between 10 and 12 July, 1884. The leading run-scorers here are Denis Compton (818 runs), Mike Atherton (729 runs) and Alec Stewart (714 runs). The leading wicket takers are Alec Bedser (51 wickets), James Anderson (28 wickets) and Jim Laker (27 wickets). Old Trafford has been the home of some of the highest individual scores which include Bob Simpson's 311, Ken Barrington's 256 and Joe Root's 254. The last test was played between England and South Africa between 4-7 August 2017.

2. One-Day Internationals:

The first one-day international was played between England and Australia on 24 August 1972. The highest team score posted here is 318/7 by Sri Lanka against England on 28 June 2006. The leading run-scorers here are Graham Gooch (405 runs), Allan Lamb (341 runs) and David Gower (309 runs). The leading wicket takers are Bob Willis (15 wickets), James Anderson (14 wickets) and Darren Gough (13 wickets). The highest individual score is by Sir Viv Richards (189 runs not out). The last match was played between England and Australia on 24 June 2018.

3. T20Is:

In the T20 internationals played at this particular ground, the highest team total posted here is 191/7 scored by England against New Zealand in 2015. The first match was played between England and New Zealand on 13 June 2008. Surprisingly, three of the eight matches here have been washed off due to rain. The leading run scorers are KL Rahul (101 runs), Jos Buttler (69 runs) and Joe Root (68 runs). The leading wicket takers are Stuart Broad (6 wickets), Kuldeep Yadav (5 wickets) and Jade Dernbach (5 wickets). The last T20 was played between England and India on 3 July 2018.

Fixtures:

Here is the list of fixtures for the ICC Cricket World Cup that is ought to be played at Old Trafford, Manchester: