The Brisbane Cricket Ground; a Venue of 2015 World Cup Cricket

The Brisbane Cricket Ground is commonly known as The Gabba. This ground is the major sports stadium in Brisbane of the capital of Queensland. Gabba or the Brisbane Cricket Ground is named after the suburb of Woolloongabba in which it is located.

The land on which the ground sits was first set aside for use as a cricket ground in 1895 and the first cricket match was held on the site on 19 December 1896 between Parliament and The Press. Before this, cricket was played at the cricket ground located in the area then known as 'Green Hills' (then located beside Countess Street Petrie Terrace opposite the Victoria Barracks – now occupied by the Northern Bus way) since at least the early 1860s.

The Gabba shared first-class cricket matches with the Exhibition Ground until 1931. Between 31 January 1931 and 4 February 1931, the first Sheffield Shield match at The Gabba was scheduled to be played but it was washed out without a ball being bowled. At The Gabba, the first Test match was played between Australia and South Africa between 27 November and 3 December 1931.

The Gabba has hosted athletics, baseball, soccer Australian Rules football, concerts, cycling, rugby union, rugby league, cricket, and pony and greyhound races over the years, From 1993 to 2005, redeveloped in six stages at a cost of A$128,000,000 occurred in The Gabba. The dimensions of the playing field are now 170.6 metres (east-west) by 149.9 metres (north-south) to accommodate the playing of Australian Football at elite level. The ground is now 42,000 seating capacity.

 

From October to March, the Gabba is used for cricket and is home to the Queensland Cricketers Club, the Queensland Cricket Association and the Queensland Bulls cricket team. The Gabba venue usually hosts the first Test match of the season each November in addition to a number of international one-day matches usually held in January and the pitch is usually fast and bouncy.

Especially in comparison with the other Australian cricket grounds, the Gabba's amenities were greatly improved in the 1980s from a very basic standard. The Test cricket was first played at the ground in November 1931 between Australia and South Africa. Test cricket's first-ever Tied Test took place at the ground when Richie Benaud's Australian team tied with Frank Worrell's West Indian side In December 1960. Queensland clinched its first-ever Sheffield Shield title with victory over South Australia in the final at the ground in March 1995. The Gabba was the first Australian venue to host an International Twenty-20 cricket match.

The Short Profile of The Gabba

Establishment		1895
Location		Woolloongabba of Queensland
Capacity		42,000
Owner		Queensland Government
Operator		Stadiums Queensland
Tenants		Brisbane Lions, Queensland cricket team and Brisbane Heat
End names		Stanley Street End and Vulture Street End
First Test		On 27 November of 1931 between Australia and South Africa
First ODI		On 23 December of 1979 between England and West Indies