Australia-England ODI To Inaugurate Perth Stadium

Cricket Australia confirmed on Monday (November 20) that Aussies Australia will take on arch-rivals England in the first ever international game at the new Perth Stadium in late January. The reigning world champions will take on Eoin Morgan & Co. in the fifth ODI on January 28 after the conclusion of the forthcoming Ashes.

Perth-based Big Bash League outfit Perth Scorchers will also play their last few games at the new stadium if the club manages to bag the hosting rights. However, the regular games will be played at the WACA.

Before that, the Scorchers will lock horns against England Lions on December 11 which will be the first cricket event in the newly-built stadium. A couple of days later, there will be another match at the venue with limited invite-only tickets for friends and family of those involved in the stadium’s construction.

Cricket Australia was initially hoping that the 60,000-seat venue in Burswood would be ready in time to stage the third Ashes Test from December 14 to 18, but construction delays dashed the hopes.

However, James Sutherland, Cricket Australia CEO, is still delighted that cricket is the first game that is being played at the venue and is hopeful that the first international game will witness a sold-out crowd.

“For Cricket to host the first major sporting event at Perth Stadium is a huge honour for our sport, and given it’s an Australia-England fixture, we are confident that will be able to celebrate history being made with a sold-out stadium,” Sutherland said in a statement.

“Thanks must go to the WA Government, Venues Live and the WACA for working hard to enable this to happen. The stadium is simply state-of-the-art, and a magnificent asset for the state and WA sports fans,” he added.

#TBT Throwing back to just last Tuesday. We still can't get enough of this! #PerthStadium #LightShow pic.twitter.com/c4S67cTyfn

— OptusStadium (@OptusStadium) October 12, 2017

WACA CEO Christina Matthews also expressed his excitement over cricket being the ‘first major event at Perth Stadium’.

“We’re extremely excited to be the first sport and first major event at Perth Stadium, which comes after close collaboration with the WA State Government and Cricket Australia to ensure a world-class fan-first cricket experience at the new venue,” Matthews said.

“Not only will we be able to reach a larger live audience through increased capacity, the ODI will showcase the new stadium to a large global televised audience. Playing a final Ashes Test and regular BBL matches at the WACA Ground and passing the torch to Perth Stadium with an England ODI, is a fitting way to start a new chapter in WA’s cricket tale,” she added.

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