Emirates Old Trafford

Capacity

26,000

Established

1884

City

Manchester, England

Surface

Grass

About this Ground

England's northern Test fortress. Notorious for rain and overcast conditions that suit swing bowling.

History & Significance

Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester has hosted cricket since 1884, when Lancashire County Cricket Club began playing on its current site. The ground is inseparable from Manchester's weather: Old Trafford has seen more rain interruptions than perhaps any other Test ground in England, and its overcast, humid conditions have for over a century produced conditions that favour swing bowling. Visiting batsmen from warmer climates consistently find Manchester the most challenging of England's Test venues — the ball moves both ways in the air, the surface offers extra bounce, and the light regularly intervenes. Old Trafford hosted the first Ashes Test in England in 1884 and has maintained that role through every subsequent Ashes series. Among its most celebrated moments: Ian Botham's 118 in 1981 helped England retain the Ashes; Brian Lara scored 375 against England in 1994 at St John's, but it was at Old Trafford that his batting education had been refined in county cricket; and in 2013, an Ashes draw here was described as the best draw cricket had ever produced. The ground's redevelopment, completed in 2013, transformed Old Trafford into a modern international venue without removing its northern character — the red-brick pavilion, the close proximity of the terraces, and the sense that you are somewhere specifically and stubbornly Manchester.