Brisbane's notorious Gabba wicket is set to live on after the beloved venue's post-2032 Games destruction.
Plans to relocate the infamous deck are set to start in the coming weeks as part of a scheme to reinstate Brisbane as the summer's undisputed home of the first Test.
Pitches will be grown on trays embedded in the Gabba turf next to the existing wicket before being transported to Victoria Park's 2032 main stadium following the Games.Â
Authorities are confident the Gabba's feared bouncy deck will be replicated in the pitches relocated to the 63,000-seat Brisbane Stadium, ensuring Australia can maintain its Test dominance in Queensland.
Australia enjoyed a 33-year undefeated Test run at the "Gabbatoir" until 2021 and still has the wood on teams such as traditional rival England, which has not tasted Brisbane success since 1986.
"It's about (making) sure that we can continue to inflict pain on those who come to this country," Queensland Premier David Crisafulli said on Monday.
"We are acting now to make sure the legacy of the Gabba can live on."
Despite its track record, the Gabba this summer will not host a Test match for the first time in 50 years.
Uncertainty over its future under the previous Labor state government's changing Games infrastructure plans led to the snub, the premier said.
The current Liberal National government has since made a deal with Cricket Australia ensuring Brisbane hosts the opening 2032-33 Ashes Test at Victoria Park.
A wicket can take years to develop at a new venue.
Mr Crisafulli said the Gabba pitch relocation plan would ensure the Victoria Park deck would be ready for action just months after the 2032 Games.
The premier was also hopeful the clone pitch would bolster his campaign to return Brisbane as the summer's permanent opening Test host.
"What I want to see long term is for the first Test in Queensland to be as undisputed as Boxing Day in Melbourne or the New Year's Test in Sydney," he said.
The Gabba relocation plan had the backing of Test and Queensland batter Marnus Labuschagne.
"It's such a unique pitch. For that to continue on to Victoria Park for generations past my own would be a really privileged position," he said.
Mr Crisafulli did not say how much the relocation plan would cost but confirmed it would come under the $7.1 billion Games infastructure funding envelope.
"It'll be worth every single cent," he said.
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