‘It’s no secret’ Harrup Park wants top level cricket events says CEO

Harrup Park CEO Adrian Young said he wants to see the venue hosting men’s international cricket, which could see the likes of Pat Cummins and Steve Smith play at Great Barrier Reef Arena, in the future

Harrup Park CEO Adrian Young said he hopes to see Australian men’s cricket captain Pat Cummins (pictured) play at Great Barrier Reef Arena one day soon. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

Harrup Park CEO Adrian Young said it’s “no secret” that the Great Barrier Reef Arena is aiming to host top-level men’s international cricket in the near future.

Mackay will have the honour of hosting the first international event of the 2024-25 summer of cricket as the Australia A and India A women’s teams battle it out in a three-match series at Harrup Park.

“It’s a great start to the summer to have these two teams come out to compete,” Young said.

“It’s another stepping stone for Harrup Park and for the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) Arena to be hosting this event.”

But Young said the venue has its sights set on even bigger and better things down the line, including some events it has already locked in.

The India A women’s cricket team arrives in Mackay ahead of its three-match ODI battle with Australia A. Photo: Fergus Gregg

“We’ve worked closely with Cricket Australia in progressing the content we’re able to host, we’ve hosted women’s internationals, Big Bash, second-tier men’s international but it’s no secret we want that top-level men’s game,” he said.

“Hopefully in the future we see the likes of Steve Smith and Pat Cummins and the rest of the Australian men’s team here playing at Great Barrier Reef Arena.

“Cricket Australia sees that it’s a really good facility and we’re looking to keep pushing it as a venue of choice.

“We’re looking at some good content coming in the shorter-term but also further afield in the next 5-10 years around what we can host.”

This event comes in the aftermath of the inaugural Century Cricket Competition Mackay held two weekends ago which saw the likes of Pakistani international cricketer Mohammad Irfan compete for $80,000 in prize money and helps further boost the profile of the GBR facility.

Mohammad Irfan of Pakistan featured in the Century Cricket Competition Mackay two weekend ago. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins)

This week’s matches take place on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, with Young saying it’s a great opportunity for locals to head down and watch some elite-level cricket free of charge.

“We haven’t had India in Mackay for a few years so it’s very exciting from that perspective as well... it is the second-tier of international cricket but there are girls on both sides competing to be part of the squads for the upcoming T20 World Cup,” he said.

“We want to see the local community come out and support these events, that’s how we’re going to continue to get bigger and better opportunities down the line is if the community shows it is keen for this kind of content to be held locally.”