Twenty20 series in double washout

Published on Tuesday 1 September 2009 23:56

BOTH captains supported the umpires' decision to abandon the second Twenty20 International between England and Australia at Old Trafford last night without a ball being bowled.

Peter Hartley and Nigel Llong made the call at 8pm this evening because of a damp outfield, particularly on the run-ups at the Brian Statham End.

England skipper Paul Collingwood said: "We wanted to get out there and play but you have to be realistic.

"There's an area of concern in the run-ups and it's unfit for international cricket.

"The umpires have made a brave decision calling it off early. The run-ups are the first thing you want to keep dry. Unfortunately with the thunderstorms we've had this afternoon that hasn't been possible."

Clarke added: "The Statham End is the worst area, where the guys have to run in and bowl, jump to take off.

"It's very difficult because there's such a good crowd in and both teams wanted to play, but even for me, 75 kilos, walking on it, it doesn't feel safe, so I can't imagine, Brett Lee running in, it's going to be safe for him. Every game we play we want to satisfy the audience but safety has to come first."

It was a blow for England following the abandonment of the first T20 game two days ago. They now have just two 20-over matches before next year's World Twenty20 in the Caribbean.

"In the bigger picture, you want to get out there – not at all costs because it's not fit – but there's a few games before the World Cup and the team want to go out and show what they can do," Collingwood said. "We're desperate to get out there, but the conditions have taken over. This is an international Twenty20 game and you have to be realistic. If the conditions are unfit you have to make a brave stance."

However, Lancashire chief executive Jim Cumbes slammed the decision. "If this was a domestic game, Lancashire versus Yorkshire on a Friday night with 16,000 people in, we'd have been playing," he said.

"I don't see what the difference between that and international cricket is. If we can't play international cricket in those conditions, we shouldn't be playing it.

"If this was a Test match, a four-day game, I'd be right behind the decision, all I'm saying is there's people who've spend 50 to come to this game. We've got to consider what competition we are playing here. This is a Twenty20 competition where we know we're not going to be playing in 100 per cent conditions."

Cumbes believes the outfield was playable and defended the Old Trafford ground staff who have had to contend with a large amount of rainfall in recent weeks. "My groundsman said to me this morning that he was getting to the stage where water is actually coming up now because we've covered it for so long – we've had so much rain," he continued.

"I went out there and I thought I would be treading and bringing water up – it's nowhere near that. The spectators will understand if they see puddles on the outfield, if they see people slipping around in practice, if it's raining. They won't understand when they look at a field like this, and I have to say I sympathise."