Hampshire have complained to the England and Wales Cricket Board following Lancashire's decision to stage this week's crucial Championship match at Old Trafford.

There was no rain in Manchester today but the first day was abandoned without a ball bowled as the outfield is yet to recover from recent rain - and two Arctic Monkeys concerts.

It is more than three weeks since the concerts were staged at Old Trafford but a combination of the mess they created and the poor recent weather means Hampshire's crunch Championship match - which features Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan in direct opposition, possibly for the last time - will not start on time tomorrow, despite a good forecast.

Hampshire chairman Rod Bransgrove said: "I'm told the conditions are disgusting - there's sewage on the outfield.

"I've already spoken to (ECB operations directors) Alan Fordham and John Carr to make our views known.

"If we win this match we'll be in a strong position to go on and win the championship but we're going to lose at least a day and a half because of this."

Last month, Worcestershire and Kent were awarded four points each after their Championship match was abandoned without a ball bowled following the flooding of New Road.

But Bransgrove argues that Lancashire are more culpable than Worcestershire were then. The two concerts, which generated around £500,000, have left parts of the Old Trafford outfield without any grass.

Hampshire manager Paul Terry has described some areas as "mud" while Shane Warne says the situation is "a disgrace".

Lancashire chief executive Jim Cumbes admitted: "I think it's fair to say that hosting the concerts hasn't helped. If we hadn't had the pop concerts you wouldn't see the bare patches but given that we have had so much rain it would still have been quite iffy to start on time anyway."

Lancashire's Pro40 match against Sussex was also abandoned without a ball bowled last week, when Cumbes considered switching Hampshire's visit to Aigburth, Liverpool.

"I had a meeting with (Lancashire coach) Mike Watkinson and (Old Trafford groundsman) Peter Marron last Wednesday afternoon where we discussed taking it to Liverpool.

"But it was a matter of could we prepare a wicket in time - and had we got to Monday morning having had a glorious weekend then people would have been asking why haven't you played it at Old Trafford?"

Cumbes held a press conference at Old Trafford today and is confident there will be play at some stage tomorrow.

He said: "I would think there is every chance because the two captains are keen to play."