Old Trafford Cricket Ground

Location: Stretford, Manchester
Capacity: 26,000
Home team: Lancashire

Opened in 1857 and located in Greater Manchester, Old Trafford (not to get confused with Old Trafford football ground – home of Manchester United) is the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club. It is the second oldest cricket ground in England after The Oval and hosted the first Ashes test between England and Australia in July 1884.

The venue has hosted the Cricket World Cup five times and holds the record for hosting the most World Cup matches (17) and semi-finals (5). In 1954, the venue saw the first 10 wicket haul in a single innings by Jim Laker (Eng), who finished with 19 wickets for 90 runs against Australia. Fast forward almost 40 years and the venue also saw Shane Warne’s “Ball of the Century”, dismissing Mike Gatting during the 1993 Ashes.

Dispite its rich cricket history, in 2009 Old Trafford was deemed unsuitable for test match status. This saw the demolition of two stands and extensive redevelopment of the pavilion and creation of The Point stand, increasing the capacity and modernising facilities. By 2013, it was back on the test cricket circuit.