Cricket at Old Blighty: Top five matches played in Manchester across formats
Old Trafford stadium in Manchester is one of the oldest stadiums in England. It was opened in 1857 and became the second ground in England to host a Test match.
Old Trafford has witnessed some of the greatest moments in cricket history. In 1956, Jim Laker picked up all 10 wickets in a Test innings to finish the game with figures of 19 for 90 in the fourth Test against Australia. Also, Shane Warne bowled the “Ball of the Century” to Mike Gatting on this ground in 1993.
Sachin Tendulkar’s first Test hundred came on this ground in 1990. Old Trafford has hosted 78 Test matches, 46 One Day Internationals, and 6 Twenty20 matches over the years. It has a great cricketing history and produced some memorable games.
Without much ado, let’s take a look at the Top five matches played in Old Trafford, Manchester across formats.
#1 England vs Australia, Test Match, 2005
This is arguably one of the greatest test matches of all-time. England won the toss and elected to bat first in the third Ashes Test in 2005. England ended up with a score of 444 in their first innings and Michael Vaughan top-scored for the host with a stunning 166.
Australians were all out for 302 runs in their first innings and conceded a lead of 142 to England. England then declared their second innings at 280 for 6, setting a target of 423 runs for Australia.
Australia battled hard to save the Test match and finished with a fourth innings score of 371 for 9. Brett Lee and McGrath survived the last four overs to salvage a draw for Australia. This will definitely rank in the top as one of the best Ashes Test matches in history.