Queensland cricket confirms no test matches will be held at the Gabba in 2026-2027

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Queensland cricket has confirmed no test matches will be held at the Gabba in 2026 and 2027 due to the states government’s decision to abandon the venues redevelopment.

Transcript

00:00Well, this has certainly been quite a controversial topic here in Queensland.

00:06Now, the Gabba redevelopment plan was only really announced by the Palaszczuk government

00:10ahead of the Olympics that are set to be hosted right here in Brisbane in 2032.

00:15But earlier this year, the Miles government came in and abandoned that plan, citing major

00:20cost blowouts, and instead opted to fund a number of venues across the city, including

00:25the Brisbane showgrounds for major sporting codes like Queensland Cricket and the AFL.

00:30But this has certainly come as quite a blow to Queensland Cricket.

00:34They've said that no test matches will be held post the 2026-2027 season, and it does

00:40follow yesterday's afternoon when Cricket Australia unveiled their allocation for the

00:45men's international cricket hosting rights, which is for the next seven seasons.

00:50Now, that only includes the Gabba for the next two years, and they say that that's largely

00:54due to the fact that there's still a lot of uncertainty around the development, and

00:58they say that they are in ongoing talks with the association about the future of cricket

01:03here in Queensland.

01:04But this will be the first time in nearly 50 years that no test match is held at a Brisbane

01:09stadium.

01:10So in response, Queensland Cricket penned an open letter in which they said that the

01:14Gabba, they've become quite disappointed that the Gabba has become another casualty of the

01:19ongoing uncertainty surrounding Olympic infrastructure.

01:23They've also said that other major stadiums in other states have now become more commercially

01:28attractive and fan-friendly over the Gabba, and they've called on leaders here in the

01:32state as we head closer to the state election to become more bold in their decision-making

01:37and to make sure they plan for long-term decisions as well in terms of sport.

01:42Now certainly, this is no doubt going to raise more questions over the future of cricket

01:47here in Queensland.

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