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.
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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.