Brisbane's formidable reputation forged over three undefeated decades gives Tim Paine and his team an extra edge in the Domain Test Series opener
Advantage Australia at Gabba fortress
Both sides will be desperate to get off to a winning start in the Domain Test series tomorrow, but it's Australia that enter the first Test with the weight of history behind them and a formidable reputation for dominance in Brisbane.
The Gabba, which traditionally hosts the opening Test of the Australian summer, holds the longest active unbeaten streak in Test cricket that has now reached an impressive 30 matches.
Back as the first Test venue of the season this summer after it was dropped from the rotation against India last year, the Aussies extended their streak at the venue with a thumping win over Sri Lanka across the Australia Day weekend early this year.
Australia captain Tim Paine said he was delighted to be back opening the Test summer in the Sunshine State.
"Last year we didn't get the first Test in Brissy and it's where we traditionally like to start so it feels like the Australian summer when you get together and get out on the Gabba," Paine said.
"It's a great place for us to play – the wicket suits Australian sides really well so to start here is fantastic and the boys are really looking forward to it."
And while the Gabba would likely have played to Australia's advantage last summer in a series that India won 2-1 for their first-ever series victory Down Under, Paine has noted that it's not all about the conditions.
In the wake of Australia's thumping win over Sri Lanka in January, Paine was asked if he would have preferred to host India at the Gabba.
"Who knows, we would have had to face the Indian attack on that wicket, which wouldn't have been easy," Paine replied.
"It's important that we start to play more consistently, regardless of the surface.
"We can't wait to come to the Gabba, knowing that Australian sides play well and win a lot of Test matches here.
"We have to be able to do it on any surface and any venue, and that's something we are building towards."
Players love the venue, and it's affectionately referred to by locals as the 'Gabbatoir' for the propensity of opposition teams to be metaphorically slaughtered.
Australia have not lost a Test at the venue since being rolled by the great West Indies team in 1988. They have gone 30 matches undefeated since then.
Captains Border, Taylor, Waugh, Ponting, Clarke, Smith and Paine have all maintained the undefeated run since – the final six of that group having never been beaten at the venue – and the home side has claimed an incredible 23 wins and seven draws in that time.
India have an 20-year undefeated streak running at Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium, having last lost there in 1999, to Pakistan. But they have played just eight Tests at the venue in the two decades since, winning five, most recently against England in December 2016.
Image Id: C0C8242C251C4B6AA9723A6C10E930D4 Image Caption: Cricket at the Gabba now includes a pool deck // GettyAustralia's streak in Brisbane is fast closing the gap on the longest single-venue domination in Test history.
That record belongs to Pakistan and the incredible 34 matches they went undefeated at the National Cricket Stadium in Karachi between 1955 and 2000.
Karachi hosted its first Test match in February 1955, a draw against India, and Pakistan did not lose there until Nasser Hussain's England triumphed in the fifth-day dusk 45 years later.
Image Id: B4B3B8DEDAFC4D12AE1BF833C49570C2 Image Caption: Thorpe and Hussain celebrate England's win at Karachi in 2000 // GettyOf the 10 longest undefeated streaks at a venue in Test cricket, only one instance is recorded at a location away from home.
That honour belongs to the domination Australia enjoyed at Lord's, the home of cricket, between 1938 and 2005.
From Don Bradman to Ricky Ponting, Australia went 18 matches unbeaten by England at Lord's, winning nine and drawing the other nine.
Longest Test undefeated streaks by venue
National Cricket Stadium, Karachi
Pakistan: 34 matches 1955-2000
The Gabba, Brisbane
Australia: 30 matches 1988-2019*
Kensington Oval, Bridgetown
West Indies: 27 matches 1948-1993
Old Trafford, Manchester
England: 25 matches 1905-1954
Sabina Park, Kingston
West Indies: 19 matches 1958-1989
The Oval, London
England: 18 matches 1884-1929
Lord's, London
Australia: 18 matches 1938-2005
Basin Reserve, Wellington
New Zealand: 18 matches 1969-1993
Queens Park Oval, Port of Spain
West Indies: 17 matches 1978-1998
Edgbaston, Birmingham
England 16 matches, 1902-1974
Domain Test Series v Pakistan
Australia squad: Tim Paine (c), Cameron Bancroft, Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner
Pakistan squad: Azhar Ali (c), Abid Ali, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan Snr, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Musa Khan, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah.
Warm-up match: Australia A v Pakistan, match drawn
Warm-up match: v Cricket Australia XI, November 15-16, WACA Ground
First Test: November 21-25, Gabba (Seven, Fox & Kayo)
Second Test: November 29 – December 3, Adelaide (d/n) (Seven, Fox & Kayo)