Led by the industry-leading grounds experts, Stadiums Queensland will soon begin to curate the cricket wicket infrastructure to be used at the new Brisbane Stadium (Australia).
In-situ Wickets
‘STADIUMS QUEENSLAND’ stated that The Gabba currently uses permanent in-situ wickets (a permanent pitch built directly into the ground of the stadium rather than being grown off-site and moved in) which take at least three years to develop to the standards required for International Test Cricket and if the same approach was taken at the Brisbane Stadium the venue would be unable to host international cricket until the 2034-2035 cricket seasons at the earliest.
Brisbane (Australia)-based Stadiums Queensland is a statutory body of the Queensland Government established in 2001 under the Major Sports Facilities Act 2001 to manage, operate, develop, and promote the State’s (Queensland) major sport, recreation and entertainment facilities.
The Brisbane Stadium is a planned multipurpose stadium to be built in Victoria Park in the Brisbane suburb of Herston (Australia). It will serve as the main stadium for the 2032 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games. The 63,000-seat stadium is expected to host the Opening and Closing ceremonies as well as the athletics events during the games.
The 2032 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXV Olympiad and also known as Brisbane 2032, is a planned international multisport event scheduled to take place from July 23rd-August 8th, 2032 in Brisbane, Australia, with venues across the various regions of Queensland.
The 2032 Summer Paralympics, also known as the Brisbane 2032 Summer Paralympic Games, and branded as Brisbane 2032, will be the 19th edition of the Summer Paralympic Games, an international multisport parasports event. The Games are scheduled to be held in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, from August 24th-September 5th, 2032.
The 37,000-seat The Gabba (officially known as the Brisbane Cricket Ground) is a stadium located in the Brisbane suburb of Woolloongabba in Queensland, Australia.
Replacement Wicket
‘STADIUMS QUEENSLAND’ further stated that ahead of the 2026 cricket season the expert grounds team will develop and install a replacement wicket at The Gabba which will sit alongside the existing in-situ wicket block which will remain the primary infrastructure.
The new wicket will be curated by the expert grounds team at The Gabba and eventually tested under professional cricket conditions before being ready for installation at the new Brisbane Stadium immediately following the Brisbane 2032 Exclusive Use Period.
The Brisbane 2032 Exclusive Use Period is the designated timeframe during which the official Olympic and Paralympic organizers take absolute control over the designated host venues thus restricting the normal operations, public access and non-Games commercial or sporting activities.
The Gabba Legacy
This will guarantee proven, international-standard contemporary wicket infrastructure is available for the 2032-2033 summer of cricket and ensure the unique characteristics of The Gabba are preserved and The Gabba’s legacy lives on.
‘Top Competition Conditions’
Stadiums Queensland Chief Executive Todd Harris said the organization was well-placed to deliver the infrastructure – “Our Head Groundsman has curated world-class wicket infrastructure throughout his esteemed career. So, these wickets will benefit from the expert hands and tested under top competition conditions. Transferring the proven wickets between the Test venues has never been done before but ingenuity is needed, now, to ensure we don’t miss out on international cricket until 2035-2036.”
Cricket Characteristics
The Gabba Grounds Manager David Sandurski 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 the venues across Australia and New Zealand, including the critical elements like the tray design, the clay type and depth and the turfing method. The new wicket will replicate both the dimensions of the 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.”
Wicket Timeline
- 2026: A full-sized wicket tray will be installed at The Gabba alongside the existing wicket block in September;
- 2027-2028: The new wicket will be monitored and trialed during practice, intra-squad and domestic matches;
- 2028-2031: 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 the new Brisbane Stadium; and
- 2032-2033: The wicket is expected to be ready to support the first international cricket season at the new Brisbane Stadium.
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