Gabba set for ‘master planning exercise’

Brisbane's famous Gabba ground is to be the next of Australia's premier cricket venues to undergo a significant overhaul with a 20-year 'master plan' in the works.

Australian cricket has benefited greatly from improvements in facilities in recent years, most notably the redevelopments of the Adelaide Oval and Sydney Cricket Ground that were completed in recent seasons.

The Western Australian Cricket Association recently detailed plans to host matches at the under-construction Perth Stadium from 2018 while the WACA Ground is to be transformed into a boutique venue. And the MCG announced a massive technology upgrade earlier this year.

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Pat Howard, Cricket Australia's executive general manager of team performance, said "competition" between venues had increased and the Gabba must match the pace.

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"There has been growth in the stadiums around the country," Howard told AAP. "Making sure that Brisbane and Queensland stay competitive in this space is pretty important.

"I think there is a lot of opportunity to deal with it. Not just inside the ground, but outside the ground, the precinct, the accessibility ... (it needs to be) a good stadium comparable with all the other ones around Australia.

"I know those at the Gabba are well and truly across all of those (possibilities) but how they get them going and in what timeframe is obviously always going to be a challenge."

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While there is a feeling that the Brisbane-based stadium has fallen behind its rivals when it comes to state-of-the-art amenities, potentially putting it at risk of missing hosting rights in any future four-Test series, Queensland Cricket said a significant amount of money had been poured into the facility in recent years.

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That capital works spend had seen them outlay several million dollars to replace the playing surface ahead of last summer and upgrade the lighting for this season. The Gabba also had a fibre optic network for media and broadcasters installed in 2013 that would eventually provide Wi-Fi for fans, as well as refurbish corporate, media and commentary areas, replace sightscreens, introduce additional LED scoreboards, and build new player facilities, dressing-rooms and viewing areas.

Gabba venue manager Blair Conaghan said the stadium was also about to start a 20-year “master planning exercise” which will map out where further spending needs to be made.

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"This will take a long-term view of how the venue associates with development in the wider precinct," Conaghan said.

"Traditionally the Gabba Test is the first of the summer and I am sure that is a tradition Queensland cricket will want to maintain."

The Gabba's last major redevelopment was completed in 2005 and involved the construction of a 24-bay grandstand, bringing the stadium's capacity to 42,000.

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Australia are unbeaten at the venue in 25 years while it is regularly ranked in the top two of the country's best pitches under the ICC Match Referee ratings system.

"Queensland Cricket remains steadfast in our desire for the opening Test of the summer to be held at the Gabba," the state association's CEO Geoff Cockerill said in May.

"One of the key elements in our strategic plan is to put fans first and grow the overall fan base in the state, and the first Test of the summer, along with a successful Big Bash League season, is vital to achieving that.

"Australia invariably makes a strong start to its international season when the first Test is held here, and the likes of Darren Lehmann, Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting have been forthright in their support of beginning their campaigns at the Gabba.

"An unbeaten record for the team at the Gabba for the past 25 years is testimony to that."

Major Australian Test cricket venues

Sydney: Sydney Cricket Ground (capacity: 48,000)

Melbourne: Melbourne Cricket Ground (capacity: 100,000)

Adelaide: Adelaide Oval (capacity: 53,500)

Perth: Perth Stadium (capacity: 60,000) *to be completed in 2018

Brisbane: The Gabba (capacity: 42,000)

Hobart: Bellerive Oval (capacity: 20,000)