It’s time for Cricket Australia to give Mackay it deserves, the men’s national team on show at Great Barrier Reef Arena
The recent, unreserved success of elite cricket events in Mackay shows that Great Barrier Reef Arena is ready to host the best of the best, writes Mitch Turner
Sport
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The message needs to be loud and clear: Mackay can and should be a part of Cricket Australia’s plans for the men’s national team this year and beyond.
With recent reports indicating that Mackay is among venues being considered to host matches between Australia and South Africa during a tour slated for August, Great Barrier Reef Arena is once again a chance of being thrown into the national spotlight.
The venue has already seen a great deal of elite cricket in the past several months, with Australia and New Zealand’s women’s national teams battling it out in a pair of T20 clashes in September last year.
The spotlight only got brighter when Australia A and India A came to town. Future Test debutants Sam Konstas, Nathan McSweeney and Beau Webster all were on display, with a touch of controversy in the mix as well as Sandpapergate 2.0 nearly kicked off on the final day.
The groundskeepers prepared an excellent wicket, with enough juice in it for the bowlers to earn rewards (as seen in the first innings’ with scores of 107 and 195 for India and Australia respectively), but that patient batters could also score runs on (look no further than the big scores piled on in each side’s second innings).
The judgement of players and officials has been nigh unanimous. with the likes of Beth Mooney, Phoebe Litchfield, McSweeney and even Cathy Freeman backing in the facility as one of Australia’s best.
With both major parties pledging $23.5 million for stage 2 redevelopments to Harrup Park prior to last year’s state election, the time is now for Mackay to be given the chance to show just how good it is to the world.
The region has been teased and tempted with Australia A games and franchise T20 tournaments enough, and local fans have been more than willing to turn up and show their support.
It’s time for the pay off, it’s time for Mackay to host the best of the best. Bring on South Africa!
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Originally published as It’s time for Cricket Australia to give Mackay it deserves, the men’s national team on show at Great Barrier Reef Arena
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