The second match of the 3-match test series between England and South Africa will be played on August 25th, Thursday. The Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester will be hosting the all-important game. After losing the first test at Lord’s, the Stokes-led England side would be longing for a comeback at Old Trafford. On the other hand, Dean Elgar’s side would be looking to continue what has been a good tour for South Africa so far. In this space, we will be discussing the Pitch Report and the Test Records of the Old Trafford Cricket Stadium, Manchester.
The visitors handed a crushing defeat to the England side in the first test as they defeated the hosts by a margin of an innings and 12 runs. Initially, South Africa’s Captain, Dean Elgar, after winning the crucial toss decided to bowl first and South Africa restricted England to a total of 165 in the 1st innings, owing to Kagiso Rabada’s 5-wicket haul. The visitor’s batting department as well responded positively and South Africa went on to post 326 runs on the board. The England side could not even go past South Africa’s 1st innings total and was bowled out at 149.
Manchester Test Records
It has been seen at Old Trafford that the teams batting first tend to have better chances of winning. In a total of 82 Test matches played here, 32 have been won by the teams batting first while the teams bowling first have only won 15.
| Total matches | 82 |
| Matches won batting first | 32 |
| Matches won bowling first | 15 |
| Average 1st Inns scores | 335 |
| Average 2nd Inns scores | 268 |
| Average 3rd Inns scores | 227 |
| Average 4th Inns scores | 168 |
| Highest total recorded | 656/8 (255.5 Ov) by AUS vs ENG |
| Lowest total recorded | 58/10 (21.4 Ov) by IND vs ENG |
Old Trafford Cricket Stadium Manchester Pitch Report for 2nd ENG vs SA Test
The pitch at Old Trafford is of a batting-friendly nature. It is generally seen here that the teams batting first go on to score huge totals, the average first innings total of 335 runs suggests the same. Though the pitch holds its batting-friendly nature throughout the 5 days, it does offer a good bounce which the pacers can use effectively. Lately, the pitch has also proved to be helpful for the spinners, hence, the overs of spin as well could be a crucial part of the match.
Keeping in mind, the nature of the Old Trafford pitch and the past records, it would be wise to bat first after winning the toss here. Also, considering the fact that the teams would go for the chase in the 4th innings here, it would be crucial to scoring anywhere around 400 in the first innings at Old Trafford.
Also Read: Pakistan announce the schedule of their first home Test series vs England in 17 years
Old Trafford Weather Forecast for the ENG vs SA 2nd Test
The weather will remain cloudy over Old Trafford on the first four days of the match, however, there are no chances of rain during this period. For the fifth day of the Old Trafford test, there is a forecast of 50% chances of rain, hence, the rain might play spoilsport on the deciding day of the test match.