Old Trafford Cricket Ground opened in 1857 and has been the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club since 1864. It is England’s second-oldest Test venue after The Oval, and it holds a record no other ground in the world can touch: 17 Cricket World Cup matches, more than any other venue, including five semi-finals. It ranks eleventh on our list of the oldest stadiums in the world still in use.
Known commercially as Emirates Old Trafford, the ground sits about a mile from Manchester United’s football stadium of the same name, which is a permanent source of confusion for visitors. The cricket ground is the older of the two by 53 years.
Key Stats
| Opened | 1857 |
| Location | Old Trafford, Trafford, Greater Manchester, England |
| Capacity | 19,000 (domestic); 26,000 for internationals |
| Tenants | Lancashire County Cricket Club (since 1864), England men’s and women’s teams, Manchester Super Giants (The Hundred) |
| Sport | Cricket |
| First Test match | 10-12 July 1884 (England v Australia) |
| Cricket World Cup matches | 17 — most of any ground |
England’s Second Test Ground
The first Test match played in England was at The Oval in 1880. Old Trafford got its turn four years later, staging England against Australia from 10 to 12 July 1884 — the first Ashes Test held on English soil. The ground has hosted Test cricket almost continuously since, and its most famous performance came in 1956, when the Surrey off-spinner Jim Laker took 19 wickets for 90 runs in a single Test against Australia. No bowler has matched those figures in any Test or first-class match before or since.
The pavilion that overlooks all of it was built in 1895 for £10,000 and is still standing, though it was gutted and rebuilt internally in a renovation completed in April 2013. It is the oldest structure on a ground where almost everything else has been replaced in the last twenty years.
The Twenty-Year Rebuild
By the early 2000s Old Trafford was at risk of losing its Test status to newer grounds, and Lancashire responded with a rolling redevelopment that ran from roughly 2003 to 2023. The Point, a £12 million conference and events centre, opened in 2010. Floodlights went up in 2011. A Hilton Garden Inn with 150 bedrooms opened at the ground in late 2017, so spectators can now watch a Test from a hotel window.
The single most consequential change was invisible from the stands. In 2010-11 the square was rotated from an east-west orientation to north-south, which removed the low-sun problem that had plagued play and allowed the ground to be reconfigured for larger crowds. Concert configurations now push capacity to around 50,000.
A World Cup Ground
Old Trafford’s 17 Cricket World Cup matches span every tournament England has hosted, and its five World Cup semi-finals are also a record. The 2019 semi-final between India and New Zealand, spread across two days after rain, was the latest addition. The ground’s size, transport links and covered stands make it a reliable choice for tournament organisers in a country where weather is the main scheduling risk.
FAQ
Is Old Trafford Cricket Ground the same as Manchester United’s stadium?
No. They are separate venues about a mile apart in the same district of Trafford. The cricket ground opened in 1857; the football stadium opened in 1910.
What is Old Trafford’s capacity?
Around 19,000 for domestic cricket, rising to 26,000 for international matches with temporary seating. Concert configurations can hold about 50,000.
What is the ground’s most famous record?
Jim Laker’s 19 wickets for 90 runs against Australia in 1956 — the best match figures in Test and first-class cricket history. The ground also holds the record for the most Cricket World Cup matches staged at any venue, with 17.
Photo: Martin Dawes via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
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