Gabba to host Australia-India Test as Perth misses out

MELBOURNE: Australia will host India at their Gabba stronghold in the opening match of the four-Test series and Adelaide will stage the nations’ first pink ball Test, but Perth has missed out on a match in the lucrative tour.

Western Australia (WA) had hoped to host Virat Kohli’s India at the state’s Perth Stadium but were defeated by Queensland’s bid for a match at the Gabba, where Australia have not lost a Test in over 30 years.

Perth will instead kick off the home summer with a one-off day-night Test against Afghanistan on Nov 21, Cricket Australia confirmed on Thursday, a consolation prize that the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA) were less than thrilled about.

WACA boss Christina Matthews was ‘astounded’ that the two-year-old Perth Stadium had been overlooked for India in favour of Brisbane’s Gabba, the most dated of Australia’s major stadiums, and said it could cost the WACA up to A$4 million ($2.64 million) in lost membership fees.

“All the metrics associated with cricket over the last two years see us surpass Brisbane in every area, whether that’s crowds, broadcast ratings, even better rainfall at that time of year, more corporate seats ... and a brand new stadium,” Matthews told reporters in Perth on Thursday.

Perth Stadium was given a match in the last home series against India in 2018-19, with the Gabba missing out.

Australia, depleted by the ball-tampering suspensions to David Warner and Steve Smith, won the Perth match but lost the series 2-1.

Australia will play India in their first day-night Test from Dec 11 at Adelaide Oval. India declined the offer of a pink ball Test on the 2018-19 trip.

Melbourne and Sydney, as expected, retain the traditional Boxing Day and New Year Tests respectively.

All cricket was suspended in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic and international travel restrictions remain but India’s board have said their team would be willing to tour Australia and comply with strict bio-security measures to make it happen.

Cricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts admitted that plans remained in flux because of the novel coronavirus.

Roberts said the picture was ‘evolving every day’ as he unveiled men’s fixtures against Zimbabwe, the West Indies and Afghanistan, as well as India.

Australia are also due to host the men’s Twenty20 World Cup in October and November.

Australia’s women, crowned T20 world champions in Melbourne in March — as the pandemic closed in on world sport — will host New Zealand and India.

“We know that circumstances or events beyond our control could mean that the final schedule potentially may look different to the one released today,” Roberts said. “But we’ll be doing everything we can to get as much international cricket in as possible this summer.”

Australia this month dethroned India as the world’s top-ranked Test team, setting up the series as a blockbuster.

Crucially, it would also generate hundreds of millions of dollars for a host organisation struggling during the coronavirus shutdown.

Revenue from the series is so important to Cricket Australia that it has proposed adding a fifth Test, which would mean ditching the one-off Test against Afghanistan.

India have said they are prepared to undergo quarantine to make the series happen. Australia’s borders are currently closed to non-residents as a measure against coronavirus.

“We are engaged in ongoing discussions with federal and state governments, our venues and the touring nations to continually understand and monitor the situation in front of us, which is evolving every day,” Roberts said.

Final details of the men’s three-match One-day International series with Zimbabwe, scheduled to start on Aug 9, will be confirmed at a later date, CA said.

Australia’s men then welcome the West Indies for three Twenty20 Internationals from Oct 4, before facing India in three further three T20 fixtures.

Schedule:

Men’s:

Aug 9: Australia vs Zimbabwe, 1st ODI (TBA).

Aug 12: Australia vs Zimbabwe, 2nd ODI (TBA).

Aug 15: Australia vs Zimbabwe, 3rd ODI (Townsville).

Oct 4: Australia vs West Indies, 1st T20 International (Townsville).

Oct 6: Australia vs West Indies, 2nd T20 International (Cairns).

Oct 9: Australia vs West Indies, 3rd T20 International (Gold Coast).

Oct 11: Australia vs India, 1st T20 International (Brisbane).

Oct 14: Australia vs India, 2nd T20 International (Canberra).

Oct 17: Australia vs India, 3rd T20 International (Adelaide).