With tours by South Africa, India and England followed by the World Cup, "the unprecedented scheduling squeeze means Victoria's Sheffield Shield team will be booted off" the Melbourne Cricket Ground and may have to play home games interstate, according to Chloe Saltau of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. Victoria "is not the only state searching for a temporary home, with all major grounds in World Cup mode throughout February and March." But its position "is unique" because -- with no end in sight to the Junction Oval redevelopment saga -- "no other ground in the state meets Cricket Australia's requirements for first-class cricket." Officials "are putting the finishing touches to an international program that will feature Twenty20 and one-day games against South Africa in November, four Tests against India, starting in Brisbane in early December and finishing with the new year's Test in Sydney, a triangular ODI series involving Australia, India and England, and culminating with the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand." Cricket Victoria CEO Tony Dodemaide said, "Overall I think it's probably the biggest and busiest summer in Australian cricket history. ... But the MCG and the major grounds around Australia will be out of action because of that tournament. It's a looming issue for us because there isn't currently a first-class-compliant ground in Victoria aside from the MCG." There was no money in the state or federal budgets "for Victoria's long-dreamed-of high performance base at the Junction Oval," but the "dilapidated" St. Kilda ground will still be used as a training venue during the World Cup (SMH, 5/21).
