Cricket at Old Blighty: Top five match winning innings played in Manchester across formats
Just a couple of days separate the cricketing world from the start of arguably the most awaited series of 2018 as India and England lock horns in a three-match T20I and ODI series which precedes a five-match Test series in one of the most eagerly anticipated English summers in recent memory.
The teams kick off with the shortest format with the first of the three T20Is scheduled at Old Trafford, the scene where Sachin Tendulkar scored his maiden Test hundred 28 summers ago in the same match that Anil Kumble made his Test debut. Nine years later, India made it three out of three against Pakistan in World Cup cricket in an otherwise forgettable tournament for the Men In Blue.
The venue has been host to some superb batting performances over the years across all formats, some of which have helped win games and others, save them.
Here are five of the best batting performances at the Lancashire County Cricket Club:
T20I - Joe Root 68 against New Zealand, 2015
Only a couple of months had passed since England's embarrassing exit in the first round of the 2015 World Cup and the side were looking to rebuild under Eoin Morgan, who had taken over just under a year ago as the country's limited-overs captain.
Under such a scenario, New Zealand visited English shores and the hosts gave a glimpse of the future in the T20I at Manchester when they smashed 191 runs in 20 overs thanks to a 46-ball 68 from Joe Root layered with eight fours and a six.
The total proved to be too much for New Zealand to chase as thanks to a pair of three wicket-hauls by David Willey and Mark Wood, they were bundled out for 135 to hand the hosts a convincing 56 run win.
Root's score is the highest for any batsman in the shortest format at the venue, the next being that of Ajinkya Rahane, who made 61 on his India debut in 2011, a game that also saw the debut and retirement of Rahul Dravid.