England-Australia Twenty20 game abandoned

Manchester:

England and Australia were unable to play the second Twenty20 international at Old Trafford on Tuesday because a wet outfield left the bowlers' run-ups dangerous.

Boos rang out when the game was abandoned without a ball being bowled and, because the first game on Saturday had been halted and abandoned halfway through, it meant that neither match achieved a result.

The problem was caused by heavy rain earlier in the day. While most of the field was playable, two areas close to the batting surface where the bowlers step just before releasing the ball were slippery. That made it dangerous with the players risking injury ahead of the seven one-day internationals which start on Friday at The Oval.

"Unfortunately the ground was not good enough," said Australia captain Michael Clarke. "The umpires tried everything to get us out there. Both teams wanted to play. I think for the safety of the players they made the right decision."

The decision was a blow to the 25,000 fans inside Old Trafford, a regular test venue which missed out on staging any of the five Ashes Tests. The venue also doesn't have any of the seven one-day games.

The decision to call the game off was greeted with derision by the spectators as it was made after the sun had been shining for at least two hours.

It was an embarrassing situation for Lancashire Cricket Club, which owns Old Trafford. The covers were on for a long period after the heavy showers yet did not stop the wet patches lingering.

"We as two teams obviously wanted to get out there and play," said England captain Paul Collingwood. "But you have to be realistic. There's an area of concern with the run-ups. It's unfit for international cricket."