The 2032 Olympics final might be the last time the Gabba hosts a cricket match. (File)
With the Gabba Stadium set to host its 66th test with the third match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between Australia and India starting Saturday, the spotlight will be on the 1895 built stadium. While the stadium at Brisbane has undergone several renovations in recent years, the 2032 Olympics final might be the last time the Gabba hosts a cricket match.
With Cricket Australia confirming to Courier Mail about a proposal including playing the final of cricket competitions in 2032 Olympics at the Gabba and a move to new stadium, the 42,000 capacity stadium could be on the way out in the coming decade.
The Gabba has played a pivotal role in Queensland cricket history. It is also clear that the venue is coming to the end of its useful life. Hopefully, this latest review will provide the certainty that everyone is craving, not least the Games organisers and together with Queensland Cricket, the AFL and the Lions, we will be making a strong case for a new stadium that can accommodate cricket and Australian rules football at Victoria Park into the future,” Cricket Australia’s outgoing CEO Nick Hockley told Courier Mail.
The iconic stadium had previously played host to the opening Test in Australian cricket summer most of the times before it hosted the last Test match of the four Test match Border-Gavaskar trophy in 2020-21. The Indian team ended Australia’s 33-year-old unbeaten record at the Test venue in the fourth Test winning the series 2-1. Australia had won 42 Test matches out of 65 Test matches at the venue in its history. While the stadium will host the first-ever Pink Ball Test match in Ashes in December next year, it has not found a place in Cricket Australia’s schedule for home Tests apart from that series. According to Hockley, lack of clarity about the Olympic and Paralympics elements has led to this decision.
“It would be amazing to host the Olympic cricket finals at the Gabba and then move straight into a brilliant new stadium where fans can enjoy international and domestic cricket in comfort for the next 50 years or more. This would also avoid disruption and costs to fans and the sports from any displacement from the Gabba between now and the Games. The lack of clarity about elements of the Olympic and Paralympic Games infrastructure has certainly caused a level of frustration and uncertainty for sports played at the Gabba,” said Hockley.
The CEO also said Queensland, where the stadium is, remains in their plans. “Queensland is an enormously important market for cricket, so it was unfortunate we could only plan for the next two years of international cricket in Brisbane in our seven-year international schedule.” said the CEO.
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