Gabba’s future uncertain amid Brisbane Olympics preparation

The iconic Gabba in Brisbane is considered to be in its farewell run. It has hosted some of the greatest moments in Test cricket history, including the fixture of Shane Warne’s eight-wicket haul against England in 1994, India’s heroics in 2021 and most recently, Shamar Joseph’s exploits to win West Indies the Test match by eight runs. 

As things stand, Cricket Australia has signed only a two-year hosting agreement with Queensland Cricket - which means that it would host Australia’s third Test of the five-match series against India and one of the matches of Ashes 2025. Post that, there is no confirmation if any Test match would be hosted in the stadium. It is also not guaranteed that Cricket Australia will be hosting white-ball matches in the stadium.

As per ESPNcricinfo, the discussions are currently ongoing about white-ball internationals as Brisbane has shown interest in hosting England for ODIs and T20Is in 2025. 

The plan previously was to rebuild the Gabba stadium from scratch for the Brisbane Olympics in 2032. However, it has been assessed that the cost of the same would be extremely high, after which, it has been decided that the stadium would be renovated for the Olympics. After that decision, there are some chances that Cricket Australia would renew its contract, given that the renovation work won’t hamper cricket for the time being.

In case the plan would have been to rebuild, the work would have started in 2026 or 2027, which would have stopped cricket completely. However, as per the new plan, it seems to be possible but entirely depends on how Brisbane and Cricket Australia deal with the matter. 

Meanwhile, Queensland Cricket chairperson Kirsten Pike and chief executive Terry Svenson have opened up on their frustrations as there’s currently no clarity on the matter.

“The State Government's decision to not progress with its commitment to rebuild the Gabba and downgrade its proposed Olympic role has resulted in direct and indirect changes to how we proceed with our business. It is deeply disappointing that the 2026-27 Gabba Test has become a casualty of the uncertainty around the infrastructure planning and development ahead of the 2032 Olympic preparations, specifically around the Gabba,” they wrote.

"…and while not being unduly alarmist, the potential outcome of this continuing uncertainty could have a significant impact on participation statewide and fan engagement across men's and women's cricket,” they added.