Abandonment deepens Lancashire's gloom Cricinfo staff

Old Trafford's damaged reputation as an international venue suffered a further setback on Tuesday evening, when the second Twenty20 international between England and Australia was abandoned without a ball being bowled, due to waterlogged bowlers' run-ups at the Brian Statham End of the ground.

Heavy afternoon rain in Manchester meant that the match was always likely to be under threat, just as Sunday's first Twenty20 had been, which was abandoned after seven balls of England's reply. Umpires Nigel Llong and Peter Hartley conducted their first inspection at the scheduled start time of 7pm, and though the weather cleared sufficiently for all the covers to be removed from the pitch, they announced the abandonment one hour later, after a second inspection, much to the frustration of a capacity Lancashire crowd.

"We as the two teams wanted to get out there and play but you have to be realistic," England's captain, Paul Collingwood, told Sky Sports. "It's unfit for international cricket and the umpires have made a brave decision to call it off early. The run-ups are the crucial area on any pitch, but a lot of water has got onto there and it's pretty soggy."

Australia's captain, Michael Clarke, shared Collingwood's sentiments. "It's very disappointing for both teams," he said. "We both wanted to play but for the safety of the players, it's the right decision. That area at the far end is the worst part of the ground, but there's an area at backward point as well. For me, only 75 kilos, it doesn't feel sturdy underfoot, so I can't imagine Brett Lee running in."

Nevertheless, the decision drew a furious response from Lancashire's beleaguered chief executive, Jim Cumbes, who is already struggling to ensure that Old Trafford remains a top-class international venue amid stiff competition from rival counties.

"It's a disaster that could have been avoided," Cumbes told Sky Sports. "I think the covers were good enough, but we've had so much rain that the pitch was bound to sweat. If this was a domestic game between Lancashire and Yorkshire in front of 16,000 people, this match would have taken place. There are people who paid £50 to come to this game, and I'm bitterly disappointed for them. In my view, you've got to play Twenty20 cricket in these conditions. We've got to rethink how we treat our public in cricket."