Ashes Test cricket looms as the sport "most likely to open the Perth Stadium at Burswood," with construction of the A$1.4B ($1B) project months ahead of schedule and on track to be finished "well before" the end of '17, according to Mark Duffield of THE WEST AUSTRALIAN. Perth will host an Ashes Test in Nov. or Dec. '17 and a decision will be made by the end of next year on "whether to hold the Test match at the WACA Ground or to launch the new stadium." Construction is reportedly "four months ahead of schedule, with grandstands on the western side of the stadium already climbing to three tiers." The "faster-than-expected progress" has prompted talks about bringing forward a deal between the WA Cricket Association and the State Government to play Tests against England, South Africa and India at the stadium. The deal is scheduled to start in '18-19. The Government and the WACA said on Monday that it was "too early to confirm the venue" for the 2017 Ashes Test, but both expressed interest in playing the game at Burswood "if possible." Premier Colin Barnett said he understood Cricket Australia had written to the "stadium team" asking about the venue’s availability. WACA CEO Christina Matthews said the WACA had been asked if it would be open to playing the 2017 Ashes Test match at the new stadium and the answer was, "Yes, we are interested." The boost to tourism and for cricket fans would be "massive." Matthews: "That is what the real driver is. We know that the next Ashes series is going to be another cracker as we try to reclaim them, so to give more people than ever before the opportunity to watch an Ashes Test would be outstanding" (THE WEST AUSTRALIAN, 11/10). ABC's Clint Thomas reported the WACA Ground is "synonymous with fast bowling, and plans are well underway to replicate that at Burswood." But Australian fast bowling veteran Mitchell Johnson has "expressed fears that once cricket moves across the Swan River, the characteristics of the famous Perth wicket will be lost." The solution "may already be growing at nearby Gloucester Park, the home of harness racing in Perth." A prototype of the drop-in pitch that will be used at the new venue has been "soaking up the sun there for about six weeks." The pitch will be tested under match conditions in February (ABC, 11/12).
