Cricket nets walkout another torpedo for the Gabba’s gloomy future

The decision by two fast bowlers to quit training mid-session and head across town to another venue highlights why the Gabba’s role in cricket appears to be coming to an end.

It sounds like small biscuits but it sums up the desperate plight of a fading venue that has had its day.

The decision by Australia’s fast bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc to jump into a car mid-training and head from the Gabba to Allan Border Field on Thursday has been noted by members of the 100-day review looking into Brisbane’s Olympic Stadium plan.

So it should.

The fast bowlers left the Gabba because they could not get a full run-up in the cramped Gabba nets.

Josh Hazlewood could not get a full run-up in the cramped Gabba nets. Picture: Getty Images

Had the duo been bowling in the more spacious Sydney or Perth nets it would not have been a problem but Brisbane is one of the more cramped venues for net training.

With horrendous parking, basically no underground access and very little room for expansion because it is blocked on all four sides, you can see why cricket is trying to leave the venue and move to Victoria Park after the 2032 Games.

It is small, yet significant issues like the net swap that are all part of the narrative of why the Gabba’s role in cricket appears to be coming to an end.

The Gabba will have a full house for the first day of the Test on Saturday which will ensure traffic chaos in a region where parking is the worst for a major venue in Australia.

The Gabba’s role in cricket appears to be coming to an end. Picture: Getty Images)

The one factor which favours the retention of the Gabba is the presence of its iconic naturally grown wicket which has, over the years, been described as the world’s greatest deck by the likes of the late Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting.

Cricket has forced a brave fight to keep its natural deck but the quality of drop-in pitches has improved to the point that you can barely notice the difference these days.

A drop in deck would be a small price to pay for a brand new stadium at Victoria Park.

Originally published as Cricket nets walkout another torpedo for the Gabba’s gloomy future