Coronavirus: Boxing Day Test on SA Christmas wishlist

Cricket Australia is considering plans for the ­Adelaide Oval to host the Boxing Day Test.

Part of the Adelaide Oval crowd at the Test match between Australia and Pakistan in November. Picture: Getty Images

Having lost the AFL grand final and with the Melbourne Cup in doubt, the third jewel in Melbourne’s sporting crown, the Boxing Day Test, is officially under siege, with Cricket Australia on Wednesday considering plans for the ­Adelaide Oval to host the fixture.

SA Cricket Association chief executive Keith Bradshaw told The Australian that while no one in cricket wanted to see the traditional Boxing Day Gest taken off Melbourne, contingencies around COVID in the Victorian capital were such that a plan B was needed.

With NSW having expressed interest in holding the Boxing Day and New Year’s Tests as a double-header, SA is using the lure of the new hotel within the Adelaide Oval as the ideal venue to create a two-test hub so the touring Indian team could be based in SA for two of the four tests in this summer series.

SA Premier Steven Marshall is using the same tactic to push for Adelaide to host the AFL grand final, even though the Gabba in Brisbane or Optus Stadium in Perth are regarded as frontrunners to host the first Aussie rules season decider outside of Melbourne.

Cricket Australia was considering its options for the Boxing Day Test at its latest “cricket cabinet” meeting and while taking the third Test off Melbourne would not be done lightly, the city’s status as Australia’s corona­virus epicentre means all options are on the table.

Crowds are central to the viability of these tests and there is a chance Melbourne may still be precluded from letting fans attend the game because of social distancing rules, whereas in SA, with its low rate of infection, crowds of 20,000 have already been allowed at AFL games.

Cricket Australia is expected to make an announcement on test scheduling as late as possible to give Melbourne the maximum chance to put a case as to how it could hold the traditional Test.