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Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast will host its first International cricket match this summer after striking a deal with Cricket Australia.

However, Brisbane’s the Gabba has been left off the schedule for the Test series against India, with the world’s top rated side to play Tests in Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney, with the Gabba to join Canberra's Manuka Oval hosting Sri Lanka in a far less prestigious two-Test series.

The Gold Coast's Metricon Stadium will stage international cricket for the first time with a T20 against South Africa on 17th November four days before the Gabba holds an Australia-India T20 clash.

New stadiums in Perth and Adelaide have leapfrogged the outdated Gabba, where Australia has traditionally played the first Test of each summer and not lost since 1988.

Explaining how the precedence given to the recently renovated Adelaide Oval and the new Optus Stadium in Perth, which have capacities more than 10,000 above the Gabba, Cricket Australia Chief Executive James Sutherland advised “the obvious thing with that is that both of those stadiums are modern state of the art stadiums.

“The Gabba was that once, and I’m sure it will be again.’’

“By comparison, perhaps it is pretty clear that the Gabba has slipped down the rankings a little bit.”

The change puts pressure on the Queensland Government, which currently has no detailed plans to upgrade the Gabba.

Queenslad Sport and Recreation Minister Mick de Brenni advised “our Sport and Active Recreation Strategy (includes) future plans for the Gabba and I’ve been meeting with cricket players to understand their needs.

“The sorts of upgrades that deliver the capacity of Perth or Adelaide would cost in excess of $500 million and would take several years.”

Queensland Cricket Chief Executive Max Walters advised that a collective effort by his body and Queensland Government officials can rejuvenate the Gabba, adding “we are working with Stadiums Queensland to hopefully get some work done on the Gabba before the next Ashes series in four years’ time.”

Welcoming the arrival of international cricket to the Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast SUNS Chief Executive Officer Mark Evans advised “Metricon Stadium is a world class regional multi-purpose sports and entertainment venue that has a proven track record of delivering outstanding events and experiences whether that be an AFL match, major international athletics meet, concerts and now cricket.

“Hosting cricket at Metricon Stadium was front of mind in the early stages of redeveloping the facility and after working collaboratively with Cricket Australia over what amounts to nearly eight years, we’re excited to partner with Cricket Australia and Queensland Cricket to deliver International Cricket to Metricon Stadium.”

The announcement that Metricon Stadium will host International cricket indicates that a longstanding dispute between Stadiums Queensland and its users over venue-hiring fees might be over.

Image: Metricon Stadium.

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