Ashes 2021-22 | Hobart replaces Perth as venue for historic pink-ball Ashes finale
Hobart’s Blundstone Arena has been confirmed to host the fifth and final Test of the ongoing Ashes, which will be the second day/night Test of the series. It will be the first ever Ashes Test at the venue, and the first in state since the Australia-South Africa encounter back in 2016.
THe fifth Ashes Test, which was confirmed last week to have moved out of Perth’s Optus Stadium due to the covid-19 related border restrictions in Western Australia, will now be played in Hobart. The dates for the fixture remain January 14-18, as scheduled earlier.
It will be the second pink-ball Test of the series, with Adelaide set to host the first day-night game - second of the series - next week. The Blundstone Arena was chosen over the much larger MCG and SCG, which will host the third and fourth Test respectively.
"We are delighted to announce that Blundstone Arena in Hobart will be hosting an Ashes Test match for the first time and thank the Tasmanian government for its support," Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley said on Saturday (December 11).
"I would like to thank all the states and territories who took part in this process. The submissions we received were outstanding and we had no doubt that each of the venues that took part would have hosted a wonderful event.
"There were a range of considerations, including commercial, logistical and operational factors and on the balance of these, the CA board agreed on Blundstone Arena being the most appropriate venue to host the fifth Vodafone Men's Ashes Test."
Cricket Tasmania CEO Dominic Baker labelled it as “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for the state.
“This is a great day not just for Tasmanian cricket, but for Tasmania in general,” Baker said in a statement.
“This will be without a doubt the biggest sporting event Tasmania has ever hosted.”
“While the circumstances that have led us to be able to have the opportunity to host this Test are undoubtedly unique, we are thrilled that Tasmanians will have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness an Ashes Test in their own backyard."
Hobart was slated to host the pink-ball Test between Australia and Afghanistan last month, which had to be postponed over the women’s game status in Afghanistan due to the political tensions after Taliban takeover.
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