
Old Trafford chaos as Lancashire try to woo India but forget local fans
The line appears on the club's website, highlighting an event at Old Trafford in March to welcome a new Indian consulate in Manchester. It's undoubtedly odd but also nothing new. The push to develop Indian ties has been part of Lancashire's story for a while now, the journey beginning at India and Pakistan's clash in the city at the 2019 World Cup.
The story goes that their chair at the time, the late David Hodgkiss, observed the passion in the ground and told the chief executive, Daniel Gidney, that Lancashire needed to look east. 'My aim is that, one day, everyone in India will see Lancashire as their second favourite team,' Gidney told ESPNcricinfo in 2020.
If that sounds a bit big-hearted, then there is the practical element, too. 'Rooms in our hotel were selling for £3,500,' said Gidney, referring to the Hilton that is part of the ground. So it leads to all of this: Lancashire having its own channel on JioTV, an Indian streaming service; pre-season tours of the country; hosting a networking event in Bengaluru to promote tourism in Manchester; expressing the desire to have an Indian Premier League partner for the Old Trafford-based Hundred team. RPSG, which owns Lucknow Super Giants, was the winning bidder, acquiring a 70% stake in Manchester Originals.
This feels like a big week for the county, who do not host a Test next summer and won't receive the substantial injection of a men's Ashes match in two years' time. A contest involving India is the one to capitalise on and another substantial advertisement for those watching abroad. It comes two weeks on from the first women's Twenty20 international held at Old Trafford in 13 years, India beating England by six wickets.
Lancashire admitted to disappointing ticket sales for the Test visit of Sri Lanka last year, and rain meant an abandonment of an England-Australia men's T20 in September. Their opportunity to host India four years ago was ruined by a Covid outbreak and a controversial last-minute cancellation, though the England and Wales Cricket Board stepped in to cover ticket refunds. There might have been a brief moment of relief for the club's hierarchy when Chris Woakes sent the ball down to Yashasvi Jaiswal on Wednesday morning.
Not that everyone got to see it, as queues outside the ground derailed the arrival of supporters. Lancashire released a statement that tried to shift some of the blame, before admitting the need to change arrangements for the remainder of the Test. 'We are aware that some supporters experienced queues getting into Emirates Old Trafford this morning, which we apologise for,' the club said. 'We saw nearly 9,000 supporters arrive at the ground very late despite encouraging early arrival, with all bags subject to searches on entry.
'The club will be looking at increasing the number of gates for the rest of the Test match. We strongly encourage ticket buyers to only bring bags if required, and if doing so to arrive as early as possible. Gates will be open at 9am for the rest of the game.' Build your brand overseas, but those at home deserve more love, too.
Sign up to The Spin
Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action
after newsletter promotion
Lancashire supporters may well agree. They do have plenty of things to celebrate this season – an upcoming men's Blast quarter-final, the women's T20 Cup victory, and the enduring presence of Jimmy Anderson – but there has largely been misery in the County Championship. Relegation last season was followed by a dire start this year, with Dale Benkenstein departing as head coach after seven winless games and Keaton Jennings stepping down as red-ball captain.
Those who did beat the morning queues might have expected a bit of fire between the two teams: eyeballs, finger-wagging, stump-mic bleeps, the whole lot. After the tetchiness of the previous Test, Harry Brook had talked about England shedding their nice-guy image; Shubman Gill had continued to take umbrage with the hosts' time-wasting. But the morning lacked caffeine and any sunshine to boil tempers. Jaiswal and KL Rahul were watchful, Chris Woakes yearned for an outside edge to carry to the cordon, Jofra Archer stayed economical. Hostility was not the word to use. Maybe they were just playing their roles in supporting bilateral trade talks between the UK and Indian governments.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Reuters
27 minutes ago
- Reuters
US LNG producers soar as EU agrees to $750 billion in energy purchases
July 28 (Reuters) - Liquefied natural gas developers led gains for U.S. energy companies in premarket trading on Monday, after the European Union pledged $750 billion worth in strategic purchases as part of a sweeping trade pact. The framework trade deal, which ended months of uncertainty for industries and consumers on both sides of the Atlantic, calls for strategic purchases, covering oil, gas, and nuclear fuel, during U.S. President Donald Trump's term in office. NextDecade (NEXT.O), opens new tab, Venture Global (VG.N), opens new tab, and Cheniere Energy (LNG.N), opens new tab jumped between 5% and 7%, with the deal bolstering the prospects for American LNG exporters as they expand to meet growing demand for cleaner-burning fuels. Uranium miner Energy Fuels (UUUU.A), opens new tab rose 4% to $10.42. The U.S. became the world's biggest LNG supplier in 2023, surpassing Australia and Qatar, as surging global prices fed demand for more exports, due in part to supply disruptions and sanctions linked to Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Oil prices , also rose over 1.5%. The agreement imposes a 15% U.S. import tariff on most EU goods, a softer blow than markets had feared. "Terms of the EU-U.S. trade deal were at the forefront, with the 15% tariff level better than feared (30% was mooted previously)," said Ashley Kelty, an analyst at Panmure Liberum. "This should see less of a drag on industrial activity between the two." Still, Kelty noted the deal could weigh on gas prices. "The demand for the EU to buy more U.S. energy will see more U.S. LNG imports in the future," Kelty said, signalling a potential supply glut. Shares of U.S. natural gas producers Expand Energy (EXE.O), opens new tab and EQT Corp (EQT.N), opens new tab were up 1.6% and 2%, respectively, before the bell.


The Independent
27 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump praises UK on trying to reduce small boat crossings
Donald Trump suggested that the UK is 'doing a fantastic thing' in trying to reduce immigration via small boat crossings. Mr Trump said he knows 'nothing about the boats' when asked about the issue while meeting Sir Keir Starmer at his Turnberry golf resort, but said 'my hats are off to you' if the UK is trying to reduce immigration. Sir Keir and his wife Lady Victoria were greeted by the President and a chorus of bagpipes as they arrived in South Ayrshire on Monday. When Mr Trump was asked about how he would deal with small boats, Sir Keir explained that it refers to people who are crossing the Channel. Mr Trump told reporters: 'If you're stopping immigration and stopping the wrong people, … my hats are off to you. You're doing, not a good thing, you're doing a fantastic thing. 'So I know nothing about the boats, but if the boats are loaded up with bad people, and they usually are, because, you know, other countries don't send their best they send people that they don't want, and they're not stupid people, and they send the people that they don't want.' Turning to the Prime Minister, Mr Trump added: 'And I've heard that you've taken a much stronger stance on this.' Mr Trump later added: 'Europe is going… is a much different place than it was just five years ago, 10 years ago. 'They've got to get their act together. If they don't, you're not going to have Europe anymore, as you know it, and you can't do that. This is a magnificent part of the world, and you cannot ruin it.' The latest data from the Home Office indicates that 122 people crossed the Channel in small boats on Saturday. The meeting between the leaders comes as a part of Mr Trump's five-day-long private trip to Scotland. The UK US trade deal and the situation in Gaza are among the items expected to feature in their discussions at Turnberry. Mr Trump took questions from the press as the bagpipes continued to play. Asked about tariffs on whisky, he could be heard saying: 'We'll talk about that, I didn't know whisky was a problem. I'm not a big whisky drinker but maybe I should be.' And he said of the special relationship: 'Our relationship is unparalleled.'


The Independent
27 minutes ago
- The Independent
US and China officials meet in Stockholm to discuss how to ease trade tensions
Top trade officials from China and the United States arrived for a new round of talks in Stockholm on Monday in a bid to ease tensions over trade between the world's two biggest national economies. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng were meeting at the offices of Sweden's prime minister for talks that Bessent has said will likely to lead to an extension of current tariff levels. Analysts say the two envoys could set the stage for a possible meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year to cement a recent thaw in trade tensions. The talks are the third this year between He and Bessent — nearly four months after Trump upended global trade with his sweeping tariff proposals, including an import tax that shot up to 145% on Chinese goods. China quickly retaliated, sending global financial markets into a temporary tailspin. The Stockholm meeting — following similar talks in Geneva and London in recent months — is set to extend a 90-day pause on those tariffs. During the pause, U.S. tariffs were lowered to 30% on Chinese goods, and China set a 10% tariff on U.S. products. The Trump administration, fresh off a deal on tariffs with the European Union, wants to reduce a trade deficit that came in at $904 billion overall last year — including a nearly $300 billion trade deficit with China alone. China's Commerce Ministry, for its part, said last week that Beijing wants 'more consensus and cooperation and less misperception' from the Stockholm talks. —— Didi Tang and Josh Boak in Washington contributed to this report.