Pop concerts leave Old Trafford pitch in a ‘shambolic mess’
LANCASHIRE are running out of time to ensure Old Trafford is fit to stage this week’s second Investec Test against Pakistan after backto-back Rihanna and Beyonce concerts left the outfield in a ‘shambolic mess’.
More than two weeks after 80,000 people attended concerts held by two of the biggest pop stars on the planet, Lancashire ground staff are understood to be working all hours to ensure the outfield and square are fit to stage the five-day Test, which begins on Friday.
Special hydroponic lights have been hired in a bid to speed up grass growth on patches of the outfield. An ECB pitch inspector last week cleared the ground as being fit for purpose, while England insiders insist they have not been made aware of any significant issues with the ground.
However, Lancashire sources have confirmed there are significant concerns about the state of large swathes of the outfield.
Lancashire’s players were unable to train on the Old Trafford outfield last week to prepare for their Specsavers County Championship Division One game against Durham, which began at Southport yesterday. ‘It’s a mess, it’s a bit of a shambles,’ one Lancashire source said.
There is no suggestion the Test match could be in jeopardy, but Lancashire will be sensitive to criticism over the state of the outfield after being heavily criticised in 2014 when playing time was curtailed in the Test against India because rain water failed to drain adequately. A Lancashire spokesman said: ‘I can confirm that an ECB pitch inspector visited us on Thursday — as is normal practice ahead of any Test match — and he spent time with our head groundsman. He gave us a clean bill of health and there are no concerns.’ Financially, Lancashire will have done rather well out of the concerts, with ticket sale revenue bringing in an estimated £6.4million.
Ticket revenue from a Test match is harder to detail. The ground capacity is 26,000 but the club haven’t sold out a single day and can expect an average attendance of 15,000 across five days.
This would bring in ticket income of £1.875m, with corporate hospitality packages potentially raising the figure to about £2m.
Lancashire also have to pay a staging fee of about £1m to the ECB.