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Six matches, three cities, two formats: How Cairns, Mackay and Darwin could host international cricket

Northern Australia will play host to a world class touring cricket nation in August with matches potentially being played across three different regions.

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Northern Australia will play host to a world class touring cricket nation in August with matches potentially being played across three different regions.

Australia will host South Africa in three one day internationals and three T20 matches with Cairns, Mackay and Darwin looking likely to host one match each of both formats.

The Cricket Australia fixture states six matches against South Africa to be played in Northern Australia with no grounds confirmed.

Cazalys Stadium hosted international and domestic cricket in 2022 including their first Big Bash League match. Picture: Brendan Radke
Cazalys Stadium hosted international and domestic cricket in 2022 including their first Big Bash League match. Picture: Brendan Radke

Northern Australia includes all venues in the Northern Territory and Northern Queensland including Darwin, Cairns, Townsville and Mackay.

The series comes just two months after both nations lock horns at the World Test Championship Final at Lords.

South Africa last toured Australia in the 2022/23 summer but forfeited the three ODI matches in order to accommodate their T20 league tournament, the SA20.

Cazalys Stadium in Cairns last hosted international cricket in September 2022, when the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy was on the line between Australia and New Zealand.

Since then, Cairns has hosted their first Big Bash League game in December 2022, with the Brisbane Heat hosting Melbourne Renegades.

AFL Cairns, which own Cazalys Stadium, has always pushed for elite sporting content to come to Cairns.

Mackay’s Great Barrier Reef Arena. Picture: Supplied
Mackay’s Great Barrier Reef Arena. Picture: Supplied

Mackay’s Great Barrier Reef Arena most recently hosted Australia A v India A in the opening to India’s tour of Australia this summer, the setting of the so-called ‘bat-off’ where Test phenom Sam Konstas and fellow debutant Nathan McSweeney were each put through their paces.

GBR Arena has previously hosted top level women’s cricket, with the Aussie women most recently playing a pair of T20s against New Zealand in September last year, while the Heat have played a number of WBBL matches there over the years.

A 1992 World Cup match between India and Sri Lanka was also hosted at the ground - then called Ray Mitchell Oval - but just two balls were bowled.

If Cairns and Mackay were to play host to matches in August, it would be at the pointy end of their respective AFL seasons.

Manunda Hawks’ home ground is Cazalys Stadium and it could force them to move their home games for several weeks before and after and before the competitions finals are set to kick off in September.

The last time Darwin’s TIO Stadium hosted a Cricket Australia match was against Bangladesh in 2008, with hope of games returning when a drop in wicket was installed in 2023.

TIO Stadium has played host to two test matches with Australia playing Bangladesh in 2003 and Sri Lanka the following year, the hosts winning both.

The stadium hosted a qualifier for the Under-19 World Cup that year and has played a role in hosting the Top End T20 series, which included the Pakistan Shaheens.

The 2024 T20 Series saw plenty of Australia cricket’s big names in the Top End including Scott Boland and Justin Langer and helped build momentum for the NT playing a bigger role going forward.

A drop in wicket was installed at TIO Stadium in 2023. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin
A drop in wicket was installed at TIO Stadium in 2023. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Cricket Northern Territory was contacted for comment, but declined to state whether a game in Darwin would take place as they continue to push for a return of international cricket.

Cricket NT chief executive Gavin Dovey previously said his organisation were committed to giving Territorians the chance to watch international cricket in their own backyard.

“Cricket is Australia’s national sport,” he said in August.

“Our sport loving community deserve the opportunity to watch Australia and the best cricket teams in the world play here in our own backyard.”

Confirmation on where the games will be played are expected to be released in February or March.

Originally published as Six matches, three cities, two formats: How Cairns, Mackay and Darwin could host international cricket

Original URL: https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/six-matches-three-cities-two-formats-how-cairns-mackay-and-darwin-could-host-international-cricket/news-story/52e7e1897ae171a9d8290ff8f639d3e9