A look at last 5 matches played at Manchester’s Old Trafford as India-New Zealand World Cup semi-final approaches

The Old Trafford stadium in the serene town of Manchester hosted arch rivals India and Pakistan and later witnessed humiliating defeats of Afghanistan and West Indies against Australia and India, respectively.

Pic courtesy: IANS

The first semi-final of ICC World Cup will be played between India and New Zealand at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester on Tuesday. One of the oldest venues in international cricket, Old Trafford has hosted some key matches in the ongoing edition of World Cup.

The stadium in the serene town of Manchester hosted arch rivals India and Pakistan and later witnessed humiliating defeats of Afghanistan and West Indies against Australia and India, respectively.

Here’s a look at the last five matches played at the stadium that was built in 1857:

1. Australia vs South Africa

The last match played at Old Trafford was between Australia and South Africa on July 6, 2019. It was a high-scoring affair with a total of 640 runs scored in the match. South Africa won the toss and decided to bat first. Leading from the front, skipper Faf du Plessis scored a century off 94 balls and was complimented well by Rassie van der Dussen, who hit 95 runs on 97 balls. Later, chasing a target of 326 runs, Australia started well with opener David Warner scoring 122 runs off 117 balls. However, the bowling attack of South Africa clicked and the Proteas won the match by 10 runs.

2. India vs West Indies

The Men in Blue have so far won all matches played at Old Trafford stadium during ICC World Cup 2019 so far. In their previous match at the stadium on June 27, 2019, they played West Indies and won by a huge margin of 125 runs. Batting first, India scored a total of 268 runs for the loss of 7 wickets. The Caribbean team failed to impress in its chase, with all batsmen getting out for 143.

3. New Zealand vs West Indies

The other semi-finalist, New Zealand, have so far played just one game in Manchester wherein they defeated West Indies by a narrow margin of five runs. Powered by skipper Kane Williamson’s knock of 148 runs, the Black Caps set a target of 292 runs. But once again, West Indies failed in the chase, scoring a total of 286 runs, and this despite a 101 on 82 balls by Carlos Braithwaite.

4.  England vs Afghanistan

The highest run ever scored by a team in an ODI came during ICC World Cup 2019 when England took on Afghanistan. England’s 397/6 is the highest score by a team at the stadium in Manchester and its 150-run win against Afghanistan is the biggest victory margin, in terms of runs, at the ground. The match witnessed an extraordinary innings by English skipper, who scored 148 off 71 balls, including 17 sixes.

5. India vs Pakistan

The match between arch rivals India and Pakistan was played on June 16, 2019 where the Men in Blue continued to maintain their winning streak against the Men in Green in World Cup matches. Pakistan’s Sarfaraz Ahmed won the toss and invited India to bat first. The message was clear from India with openers KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma scoring 57 and 140 runs respectively. Skipper Virat Kohli also played a captain’s knock of 77 on 65 balls. India set a target of 337 for Pakistan and later won the match with a margin of 89 runs.

The Old Trafford stadium in Manchester was built in 1857 and continues to charm cricketer lovers from across the world. The stadium has a capacity of 19,000 and is often jam packed while hosting key cricket clashes.