LONDON: After Pakistan’s stunning victory in the first Test at Lord’s last Sunday, the focus now shifts to Old Trafford where England will be desperate to level the four-match series.

But before the teams take the field on Friday, Lancashire county officials face a tricky situation of their own.

According to a report published in the Mail on Sunday, the famous cricket arena’s outfield was in a shambolic mess, legacy of two musical concerts held there on June 29 and July 5, respectively with ticket sale revenue generating around £6.4 million to the county coffers.

Around 80,000 people had thronged Old Trafford for the back-to-back concerts in which renowned pop stars Rihanna and Beyoncé performed separately.

Sources close to the county have confirmed to the paper that there are grave concerns about the state of large swathes of the outfield, forcing Lancashire cricketers to skip training ahead of their July 16-19 Division One County Championship fixture against Durham at Southport.

Incidentally, England duo James Anderson and Ben Stokes played against each other in that match – which Durham won by two wickets – in final preparation for the Pakistan Test with both having recovered from injuries that forced them to miss last week’s Lord’s Test.

But prior to the county game, a Lancashire official described Old Trafford as ‘a mess and bit of a shambles’.

However, a pitch inspector from the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) last week cleared the ground as being fit for the upcoming Test match.

The report said the Lancashire ground-staff has been working round-the-clock to make sure Old Trafford is fit to stage the second Test. It said special hydroponic lights have been hired in a bid to speed up grass growth on patches of the outfield.

The county, however, rules out the Test against Pakistan being in jeopardy, but it came under heavy fire over the state of the outfield in 2014 when playing time was curtailed in the fourth Test against India because rain water failed to drain out sufficiently.

However, Lancashire have refuted claims of ground being damaged and are confident their pitch renovation efforts will be successful in time for the second Test.

“It is normal practice that after hosting concerts at Old Trafford the ground team has a detailed and robust renovation programme for the pitch and outfield,” a Lancashire spokesperson said.

“Our experienced groundsman uses industry best practices to prepare the surfaces at Old Trafford and the club provide whatever equipment and materials he needs to deliver the world-class surface that Old Trafford is renowned for.”

The 26,000-capacity ground expects a good turnout at the England-Pakistan Test as it expects an average attendance of 15,000 over the five days. The county, which hopes to earn close to £2m from ticket sale and hospitality boxes during the match, has to pay a staging fee of about £1m to the ECB.

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2016