The famous Gabba pitch will have a new home in 2032
The pace and bounce that is synonymous with The Gabba cricket wicket, and has terrified visiting teams for decades, will live on at the new Brisbane Stadium at Victoria Park after the Olympic and Paralympic Games are finished.
Contemporary wicket infrastructure will be developed and tested at The Gabba before being transferred to Victoria Park, ensuring the unique characteristics of the famous pitch will be a feature at the new home of cricket in Queensland.
The new wicket will use the same dimensions, clay base, soil and turf as the existing Gabba wicket ensuring proven, international-standard wickets are available for immediate use.
In the coming weeks, a tray will be installed alongside the famous existing in-situ wicket block at The Gabba where it will be curated and trialled in the lead up to 2032.
By the 2028-29 season, the wicket will be ready to be tested under First-Class conditions.
Once the Games are finished, the wicket will be transferred to the new stadium and is expected to be ready to support international cricket in the 2032-33 season.
Stadiums Queensland CEO Todd Harris said the organisation was well-placed to deliver the infrastructure.
“Our Head Groundsman at The Gabba has curated world-class wicket infrastructure throughout his esteemed career, including similar infrastructure at the MCG, so these wickets will benefit from expert and experienced hands and tested under top competition conditions,” Mr Harris said.
“Under his leadership, our team have also consulted cricket experts from across Australia and New Zealand.
“Transferring proven wickets between Test venues has never been done before, but ingenuity is needed, now, to ensure we don’t miss out on international cricket until 2035-36.”
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 venues across Australia and New Zealand, including the critical elements like tray design, clay type and depth, and turfing method,” Mr Sandurksi 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.”
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