The plan to transfer Ashes Gabba torment to new Brisbane ground
The cricketing turf that has made the Gabba one of the most feared fortresses in Australian sport will be lifted out and moved to Brisbane’s new stadium at Victoria Park.
A new tray will be installed next to the existing wicket at the ground in September to create a clone pitch, which will then be developed over the next six years before being shifted to the new venue after the 2032 Games.
“It’s about [making] sure that we can continue to inflict pain on those who come to this country,” Premier David Crisafulli said from the stadium on Monday morning alongside national cricketers.
The Australian Men’s Cricket Team has historically dominated opponents at the Gabba – giving it the nickname the “Gabbatoir” – though it has suffered rare losses to India and the West Indies in recent years.
Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne said the composition of the pitch was a big part of what made the ground so difficult for touring teams, and transplanting a new deck from the same turf would help preserve the advantage.
“There are no venues other than probably the WACA and the Gabba that give you that real advantage of pace and bounce,” the Queensland-based Test player said.
“If you grow up here, you play here, you learn these conditions ... so the upper hand is so big.”
He said his two best memories at the ground were scoring his first century in 2019, and working for Channel Nine operating the Hot Spot camera in 2010 when fast bowler Peter Siddle took a hat-trick on his birthday.
The underlying composition of the turf had not changed in recent history, Stadiums Queensland chief executive Todd Harris said.
He noted the pitch was laser levelled in preparation for the 2000 Olympic Games, but the ground was not dug out.
The premier declined to say how much moving the pitch would cost, only confirming it would come out of the $7.1 billion games funding envelope.
“It’ll be worth every single cent,” he said.
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