Ashes set for pink-ball finale as CA calls for bids

The final and potentially decisive Vodafone Ashes Test seems set to be a day-night affair with the capacity to host a pink ball fixture among the key criteria in Cricket Australia's call for expressions of interest from states and territories keen to host the showcase event.

Following yesterday's announcement the series finale won't be staged in Perth from January 14 as planned due to Western Australia's strict COVID-19 quarantine measures, jockeying has formally begun for the right to host the men's Test summer finale.

CA issued tender documents to its remaining constituent states and territories yesterday, with New South Wales already signalling their intention to bid for the fixture alongside previously public candidates Hobart and Melbourne.

The decision to add a second day-night Test to the schedule – which England must agree to as per the memorandum of understanding that governs their tour – is viewed as a conciliatory move to broadcasters who were banking on the Perth Test being beamed into eastern states households during prime time.

While the ability to stage the final Test as a pink ball fixture is cited as a key consideration in any expression of interest, it is not a requirement and is but one of a handful of criteria that states and territories are asked to address in completing their tender documents over coming days.

It is understood the other crucial factors in CA's final decision, expected to be made within the next week or two, are:

• Capacity to deliver the event within existing COVID-19 protocols for the relevant state or territory
• Ability to accommodate all operational match requirements, which includes broadcast needs and additional measures such as DRS as mandated by the International Cricket Council
• Commercial considerations, such as projected forecasts on ticket sales
• Logistical issues, including capacity to provide adequate hotel accommodation for players and their families, match officials, match staff and broadcast crews for duration of the Test and its preamble

The final point might prove problematic for any bid to stage the Test at the MCG, given Melbourne accommodation stocks are likely to be in high demand with the Australian Open tennis tournament being staged there from January 17-30.

SA Premier Stephen Marshall confirmed today that Adelaide would submit a bid to host the fifth Test, even though Adelaide Oval will also be the site of its now traditional pink ball event later this month.

However, that venue is also slated for KFC BBL games on January 14 and 18 and, unlike cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart and Brisbane, Adelaide does not boast an auxiliary stadium capable of hosting significant crowds meaning those games might face relocation.

Apart from Perth's Optus Stadium (which was to host the fifth Test), the only other city to have staged a day-night Test match is Brisbane where Australia and Sri Lanka played in January 2019.

Tasmania Premier Peter Gutwein has been a vocal proponent for the fifth Test to be staged in Hobart after the proposed historic first meeting between Australia and Afghanistan scheduled for last month was postponed.

And Cricket ACT is understood to be finalising its bid for a maiden Ashes Test having opted not to make public a desire to stage the event until Perth was formally ruled out of the reckoning.

That situation changed yesterday when CA announced, despite pursuing "absolutely every effort ... to ensure the final Test match of the series could be staged in Perth" the combination of WA border controls, quarantine requirements and associated complexities made it impossible.

Sydney has previously shown interest in adding a pink ball Test to its traditional new year fixture, and the SCG last year indicated its willingness to host consecutive Australia-India Tests when COVID cases in NSW raised doubts about the series decider being played at the Gabba.

Victoria Sports Minister Martin Pakula also recently put forward the MCG's claims to host this summer's final Ashes Test when doubts about the viability of Perth began to grow, and Venues SCG (manager of the SCG) chair Tony Shepherd flagged Sydney's interest earlier today.

"We are very enthusiastic about holding the fifth test – with a pink ball," Shepherd told The Sydney Morning Herald.

"We think a day-night test would be very attractive to the local community and visitors coming to Sydney throughout January.

"We’re working with the state government right now to make a bid."

A final decision on the venue for the Ashes finale will be made by Cricket Australia's executive in the coming week or so, with a recommendation then made to the CA board.

The most recent Ashes battle in Australia to feature a 'live' Test match as the series finale was 1982-83, when Greg Chappell's team held out for a draw in the fifth match at the SCG to regain the urn they had surrendered to England 18 months earlier.

Vodafone Men's Ashes

Squads

Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith (vc), Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Marcus Harris, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner

England: Joe Root (c), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

Schedule

First Test: December 8-12, The Gabba

Second Test: December 16-20, Adelaide Oval

Third Test: December 26-30, MCG

Fourth Test: January 5-9, SCG

Fifth Test: January 14-18, TBC