Swathes of empty seats at a half-full Gabba on Sunday have underlined Brisbane’s uncertain Test future.
Only 21,535 supporters attended day four of the Ashes series opener despite clearing, sunny conditions and a chance that Australia would wrap up victory that day.
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Queensland Cricket sees it as a standard day four drop-off and and is delighted with crowd numbers across the whole match, which are marginally higher than the last Test against England in 2013-14.
But the turnout will have done nothing to improve Brisbane’s hosting chances for next summer’s four-Test tour by India amid increasing demand from interstate.
The Gabba looks likely to be snubbed in favour of the new Optus Stadium in Perth and the refurbished Adelaide Oval, with Melbourne and Sydney locked in for the traditional Boxing Day and New Years slots.
Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland told News Corp Australia it was a “concern” that public amenities and transport links have not improved, ranking it as the fifth-best Test venue in the country.
That’s despite the beloved surface, which has provided the Australian side with an invaluable advantage for nearly 30 years.
However, Labor’s likely victory in the Queensland state election could be a game-changer for the Gabba.
One of Labor’s major campaign promises was for a second rail crossing over the Brisbane River, which would include a new train station adjacent to the stadium.
Currently the nearest station is a 1.5km walk away while the only other public transport is by bus.
Although a 20-year master plan for improvements to the Gabba was recently completed, and includes provisions for stadium WiFi, there is little scope for dramatically enhancing the spectator experience short of knocking the stadium down and rebuilding.
That would be a monstrous and expensive task given its location, hanging over two busy main roads.
Queensland Cricket CEO Max Walters said: “We look forward to continue to working with Government in the future to deliver great experiences for fans at the iconic, world-class Gabba.”
“It’s fitting that the last Test for Kevin Mitchell Jnr as the curator has produced a classic, hard-fought Test match.
“The famous Gabba pitch, and the venue’s overall record as a fortress for Australia, are something for all Queenslanders to be proud of.”
Tickets for day five will be available for a gold coin donation, with proceeds going towards to Movember.
Paul D
Roar Guru
I'm with you Bushy, the Gabba is absolutely pants. it's a god-awful concrete birdbath of a stadium staffed by some of the most humourless cretins in Brisbane.
Timmuh
Roar Guru
Canberra has been promised a Test against Sri Lanka next summer. The headline is a touch misleading. Brisbane's chances of hosting the number one touring team is at risk (they only do so for England and South Africa anyway); not all Tests. Only Hobart may have seen it's last Test.
not so super
Guest
words cant describe how crazy your suggestions are
Matth
Guest
While India are only playing four tests, Sri Lanka are coming to fill out the calendar with two more, so they are just saying that QLD won’t get India. I’m not surprised that India won’t want to play at the Gabba and I’m not surprised that CA will do whatever India wants.
Steve
Guest
I’ve been going to the gabba for over 30 years of test cricket and sadly i have to agree with many of the comments here... it is a concrete monster, and only a few seats which regulars will know, are worth watching a full days sun beaten cricket in! I used to love sitting on the grass hill as a 16 yr old and being able to walk around the ground while still being able to see the action...only adealide is like that now. The heat, lack of breeze, bad food, tight seats with less room than tigerair, having to stand up every 2 seconds because other people in your row only have one exit to get out, the fact the best seats are covered by giant white sheets to make the sightscreen rediculously oversized, the lack of viewing areas if u want to stand, no grass or hill area, poor outside facilities like adelaide ( last years night test beach out theback was great) the tacky pool area where only models can get in, and transport which takes u an hour to wait for a bus home ( i ended up walking to red hill) makes this an awful experience for more than 2/3 hours... knock it down and start again!!!
E-Meter
Guest
I'm with you there. I went to the first day of the Gabba test for 14 years straight. Haven't been since 2010 for most of the reasons you've listed. The last couple of years more time was spent at the Aussie Nash to beat the heat and extortionate food/drink prices. Used to be a good venue not that long ago when you could take your own food. Also security were a bit heavy handed on the crowd for very innocuous incidents. I won't ever be going back.
Rellum
Roar Guru
This desire from CA has been around for awhile https://www.cricket.com.au/news/gabba-master-planning-exercise-australian-cricket-grounds-redevelopments-pat-howard-brisbane/2015-09-18 That story is just 10 years on from the last redevelopment with a 20 year master redevelopment plan.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Yeah, I was wondering that as I hadn't been there for a long time and hadn't seen it open either,
Xavier Smith
Roar Rookie
The increased competition from upgraded stadiums appears to accelerate how quickly existing stadia become “dated” - the Gabba upgrade was compeleted this century, and the 18 year old ANZ Stadium apparently needs to be demolished. The crowd for this test wasn’t horrendous, though. I’m genuinely surprised this wasn’t a day-nighter. That would have dramatically improved attendance.
jamesb
Guest
Why would you want to get rid of the 'Gabba? Australia hasn't lost a test there since 88/89. Is the 'Gabba becoming a 'death trap' like Allianz stadium? If the 'Gabba goes, touring teams would be delighted with that. And by the way, I don't think the MCG gets 50,000 people on day 4 either.
Simon
Guest
If there is only 4 tests next summer that really sucks. Whenever we play India CA prepare roads to try and capitalise on that Indian TV dollar. Surely we can host the West Indies or Zimbabwe or someone for a couple as well
AREH
Roar Guru
Depending on the state of the match, Day 4 in Melbourne would probably only have 30-40k
Nick Symonds
Guest
Brisbane should lose it's test match and it should go to Canberra instead.
PJ
Guest
I refuse to go watch any cricket at the Gabba, the heat is almost unbearable and you end up in pools of sweat, public transport to the ground is non existent and food/drink prices are a disgrace. The T.V coverage and air conditioned comfort of my lounge wins hands down.
The Bush
Roar Guru
Hey Rellum, Obviously sun is a concern at all grounds, but as you say, sun in Queensland is far more dangerous and should be taken far more seriously. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but I've been at the Gabba every year for about a decade now and I just don't overly enjoy the ground. It's a soulless concrete monster. One year (maybe last year) you couldn't even get Gold on tap - it's like they want you to leave early. Also as an aside, the Chalk went bust a while back, so you're down to the Aussie National and the Pineapple...
Maggie
Guest
There will be a light rail stop in front of the SCG. The line is now under construction and due to be completed in 2019.
qwetzen
Guest
This Gabba bashing is becoming an annual affair. It'd be interesting to see what attendances all the Test grounds would get if they had the Gabbas' time slot. Not that it's at all possible as certain venues seem to take several times longer than the Gabba to produce any sort of pitch.
paul
Guest
If the comparisons with other Australian grounds can be ignored for a minute, there's not a Test nation in world cricket who would not be delighted getting more than 80,000 to 4 days of a Test. More to the point, there will be a day 5. Sydney is the real loser in terms of a lack of public transport and has been since I trudged up the hill from Central Station to watch the West Indies in 1969. The only thing that's changed are the buses are more modern. Brisbane won't lose it's Test, at least for the foreseeable future.
RM
Guest
...uh, what? Day 1: 35,144. Day 2: 34, 358. Day 3: 33, 474. Day 4: 21,535. These are great crowd numbers. The smallest crowd on Day 4 was the same size as the biggest crowd the Lions got for the AFL all last season.
JamesH
Roar Guru
Yeah I can't see any danger of the Gabba missing out while we still have either 5 or 6 tests per summer. Optus Stadium is simply taking the place of the WACA. The Gabba will remain the fifth venue, with Hobart (hopefully remaining) the sixth. The only real alternative is to double up in Sydney or Melbourne, but neither of those pitches offer the spectacle of the very Australian pace and bounce at the Gabba, current test not withstanding. With the decline - and now cessation - of the WACA, the Gabba's surface is just about unique. I think CA will be content averaging crowds in the mid-high twenties across four days of cricket, knowing that they still have their Boxing Day extravaganza and the Big Bash cash-cow to fall back on.