NEW DELHI: Former Australia captain Allan Border has called for the construction of a new cricket stadium to replace the Gabba after it was announced that the iconic venue will not host Test matches starting from the 2026/27 season.
Cricket Australia confirmed that the MCG and SCG would retain their Boxing Day and New Year’s Tests respectively until 2030/31, while the Gabba is only assured of hosting Tests for the next two years, with discussions ongoing about future international cricket in Queensland.
The development marks the first time since the 1976/77 season that a Test Match won’t be held at the Gabba after 2026/27.
Currently, the Gabba is slated to host the third India-Australia Test of this year’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy in December and the second Test of next year’s Ashes, which will be a day-night game.
Border emphasized on the need for a new stadium, citing the Gabba’s outdated facilities and logistical challenges.
“(The Gabba) is a great Test match pitch but the actual stadium is getting a bit tired. It’s now ranked No.5 or six in the country behind others that have been rebuilt in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth — and the one in Adelaide is fantastic with the hotel right on the ground as well.”
“So the ranking is slipping. It’s a great pitch to play on but the ground is hard to get to and then when the crowd leaves a big game, with 40-50,000 people there, it’s a nightmare to get out of the place. For all those reasons, we need to knock it down and do something else,” said Border on Nine’s Today show.
The call for the Gabba’s overhaul comes after the Queensland government scrapped a 2.7 billion dollar plan to demolish and rebuild the stadium for the 2032 Olympic Games.
Instead, the investment has been redirected into upgrading the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QSAC), Suncorp Stadium, and the Gabba.
An independent review also saw a 3.4 billion dollar proposal to construct a new oval stadium at Victoria Park for the 2032 Olympics being rejected by the Queensland government.
At the launch of CA’s Play Cricket Week, Australia captain Pat Cummins shared his thoughts on the situation at the Gabba.
“We love playing at the Gabba. We’ve lost a couple of times there in last few years, but overall our record is great there. The Queensland crowds are also good, it’s always nice weather, so we really like playing up there. We’ll wait and see what happens. At least the next two years are still locked away the Gabba, so we’ll work it out after that,” he said.
Cricket Australia confirmed that the MCG and SCG would retain their Boxing Day and New Year’s Tests respectively until 2030/31, while the Gabba is only assured of hosting Tests for the next two years, with discussions ongoing about future international cricket in Queensland.
The development marks the first time since the 1976/77 season that a Test Match won’t be held at the Gabba after 2026/27.
Currently, the Gabba is slated to host the third India-Australia Test of this year’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy in December and the second Test of next year’s Ashes, which will be a day-night game.
Border emphasized on the need for a new stadium, citing the Gabba’s outdated facilities and logistical challenges.
“(The Gabba) is a great Test match pitch but the actual stadium is getting a bit tired. It’s now ranked No.5 or six in the country behind others that have been rebuilt in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth — and the one in Adelaide is fantastic with the hotel right on the ground as well.”
“So the ranking is slipping. It’s a great pitch to play on but the ground is hard to get to and then when the crowd leaves a big game, with 40-50,000 people there, it’s a nightmare to get out of the place. For all those reasons, we need to knock it down and do something else,” said Border on Nine’s Today show.
The call for the Gabba’s overhaul comes after the Queensland government scrapped a 2.7 billion dollar plan to demolish and rebuild the stadium for the 2032 Olympic Games.
Instead, the investment has been redirected into upgrading the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre (QSAC), Suncorp Stadium, and the Gabba.
An independent review also saw a 3.4 billion dollar proposal to construct a new oval stadium at Victoria Park for the 2032 Olympics being rejected by the Queensland government.
At the launch of CA’s Play Cricket Week, Australia captain Pat Cummins shared his thoughts on the situation at the Gabba.
“We love playing at the Gabba. We’ve lost a couple of times there in last few years, but overall our record is great there. The Queensland crowds are also good, it’s always nice weather, so we really like playing up there. We’ll wait and see what happens. At least the next two years are still locked away the Gabba, so we’ll work it out after that,” he said.
