Peter Gutwein,Premier
With the Perth test officially ruled out, Cricket Australia has a clear choice to make.
They can make history in Hobart, and do the right thing by the game, or they can rinse and repeat in another State where test matches are played ad nauseam to the detriment of Tasmanian cricket.
We are currently finalising our proposal to Cricket Australia which we will submit within the next 24 hours, and we are very confident we can more than meet all of their requirements to host the fifth Test in Hobart.
There is no doubt that Tasmania has the strongest case to host the game with our appeal to players, local and traveling supporters as well as officials and people working at the game. This includes our boutique stadium, the best air quality in the country, fantastic food and produce as well as our scenery and iconic locations such as MONA, Salamanca Market and our National Parks.
Given both Victoria and NSW already have test matches, and a test match in NSW would result in back to back tests in that State which would represent more of the same, this is CA's chance to make history, and do the right thing by playing the game in Hobart.
Following a decision by Public Health, capacity has also now been lifted at Blundstone Arena, with the maximum patron limit now at close to 14,000, an uplift of around 35 per cent – meaning even more people can enjoy the spectacle of a history-making Ashes test, should we be successful.
Patrons can also enjoy the new, recently installed screens and scoreboard at Blundstone Arena, thanks to the $6 million commitment we made at the May election which will make a huge difference to the patron experience at the ground.
This again demonstrates that Tasmania stands ready to host the match, whether the preference is for a day match or a day/night match – we can easily accommodate either option.
Hobart has only been allocated 13 tests in the 32 years since hosting our first Test, and CA should not be seduced by the larger states – they should act in the best interests of the country, make history, and award us our first Ashes Test.
We look forward to further discussions in coming days.
