The fate of Gabba continues to hand in balance. While Cricket Australia is keen to host the cricket finals of Olympics 2032 in Gabba, its place in hosting Test cricket matches have started to dwindle down. It is believed that the red ball format would slowly switch out to the new Victoria Park Stadium, instead of the iconic Gabba.
Cricket Australia boss Nick Hockley has informed Courier Mail that their plans include hosting the Olympics cricket finals in the venue before they permanently switch to the new venue. Hockley has claimed that the Gabba Stadium has “played a pivotal role in Queensland cricket history and is coming to the end of its useful life”.
The dynamics are pretty simple. As per the proposal sent to the Brisbane Olympics, Hockely said they want to present “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to develop a world-class stadium that delivers strong legacy benefits for Queensland, by providing cricket and football fans with the facilities that they deserve”.
“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,” he added.
Test status starts to dwindle for Gabba
For the past couple of seasons, the Gabba has not been a priority for Cricket Australia. Earlier this year it was announced that this stadium won’t host the opening match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy. And instead, the new Optus Stadium in Perth was chosen as the preferred venue.
The same will be the case in Ashes as well. However, next December, the stadium will be hosting its first-ever Day and Night Pink Ball Test match for Ashes. “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,” Hockley added.