Lancashire move Surrey match

Lancashire have moved another Championship fixture away from Old Trafford due to the wet summer and the impact on producing enough high-standard pitches on the new square.

Their final match of the season, against Surrey from September 11-14, will now be played at Aigburth, Liverpool, after the same switch was made for the Durham clash at the end of August.

The Surrey game starts the day after the Twenty20 international against South Africa at Old Trafford - while the ground also hosts England Women in as part of a double-header - and the club have felt it prudent to not risk the quality of Championship pitch for what is shaping as a likely relegation tussle.

Mike Watkinson, the director of cricket, said: "The period of extremely wet weather, which forced us to move the Durham game to Liverpool, hasn't sufficiently improved to re-establish the grass cover on the newer pitches on the square. We have also got the International T20 matches the day before.

"Taking these factors into consideration, and the fact that we have made a significant investment in the facilities and pitches at Liverpool, we felt that this was the correct decision. I would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may cause but I am sure that our members and supporters will understand the need to prioritise cricket."

The club added that the pitch used for last week's England Lions-Australia A match at Old Trafford - which was the same surface that will be used for next year's Ashes Test - had received "excellent" feedback from players and officials.