Heat Backs Gabba Pitch Move

The future home of cricket in Queensland is set to retain the distinctive ‘DNA’ of the historic Gabba pitch when the venue becomes the home of cricket and AFL following the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
 
Flanked by Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Lilly Bassingthwaighte and Mikayla Wrigley, and legendary maroons Ian Healy and Michael Kasprowicz, the Queensland Premier David Crisafuli this morning detailed the plans to transfer the Gabba pitch to Victoria Park.
 
Queensland Cricket CEO Terry Svenson said the announcement provided a significant degree of certainty for the sport and urged Cricket Australia to take advantage of the opportunity.
 
“The Olympics will set up sport in Queensland for generations to come, and the Brisbane Stadium will play an integral part as it will be an incredible asset for the community,’’ he said.
 
"In light of this, Queensland Cricket and the entire cricket community in Queensland calls on Cricket Australia to now return the First Test to its rightful home in Brisbane.

"This would mean the return to playing the First Test at the Gabba on one of the world’s best pitches from next season and then locking the Test in permanently for the new Brisbane Stadium.

“We welcome this innovative approach by the Government and look forward to working alongside Stadiums Queensland and Dave Sandurski and his Gabba grounds team to make the pitch relocation a permanent reality.’’
 
“After another big winter from our co-tenants the Brisbane Lions, Queensland Cricket is excited to be back at the Gabba this season, with the Bulls playing first class cricket at the venue before it hosts five must-see Brisbane Heat BBL matches, over the summer holidays’’ Svenson said.
 
Test players Neser, who took his maiden Test five-wicket haul at the Gabba last season, and Labuschagne said the pace and bounce of the pitch was always an advantage for the Australian team when it played at the venue.
 
“Playing the First Test of any series at the Gabba is an advantage for Australia because of the pitch characteristics,’’ Labuschagne said.
 
“That’s why it is great to hear today that the new Brisbane Stadium will have the same wicket block available for the Tests after the Olympics.”
 
Stadiums Queensland CEO Todd Harris today outlined the process that will eventually see a ‘hybrid’ centre wicket block established at the Brisbane Stadium, featuring permanent pitches.
 
Ahead of this cricket season, the venue’s grounds team will develop and install a replacement wicket at the Gabba, which will sit alongside the existing permanent, in-situ wicket block, which will continue to be used.
 
The new wicket will be curated by the expert grounds team and eventually tested under professional cricket conditions over the ensuring seasons, before being ready for installation at the new venue immediately following the Brisbane 2032 Exclusive Use Period in time for the 2032-33 summer of cricket. 
 
The Gabba Grounds Manager David Sandurski, who began his curatorial career at Allan Border Field, said he was invested in preserving the unique history and cricket characteristics of the Gabba.
 
“It’s important we get this right, so we’ve explored a range of wicket block practices and technologies at venues across Australia and New Zealand, including the critical elements like tray design, clay type and depth, and turfing method,” he said. 
 
“The new wicket will replicate both the dimensions of existing wickets and the make-up, with the same clay base, soil and turf, so we’ll be looking to refine it over time to reproduce the same pace and bounce the Gabba is famous for.” 
 
The world-leading hybrid wicket model at the new Brisbane Stadium will see the new contemporary wicket exist alongside in-situ wickets which will also be transferred from the Gabba once decommissioned. 
 
Wicket timeline
·        2026: A full-sized wicket tray will be installed at The Gabba alongside the existing wicket block in September.
·        2027-28: The new wicket will be monitored and trialled during practice, intra-squad and domestic matches.
·        2028-31: The wicket will be tested under First-Class cricket conditions.
·        2032: Following the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the contemporary wicket will be transferred to Brisbane Stadium.
·        2032-33: The wicket is expected to be ready to support the first international cricket season at Brisbane Stadium.