Why Canberra should host the fifth Ashes Test

Cricket Australia now has the power to make a similar call, more than a century on, in shifting the stricken fifth Ashes Test from Perth to the national capital.

A decision on where to play the potential decider is expected to be made by early next week, and Manuka Oval is in the frame after the ACT government confirmed on Tuesday it would make a bid for the match.

They face stiff opposition from Sydney, Melbourne and Tasmania - the latter of which is desperate to secure Ashes cricket after the historic Test between Australia and Afghanistan scheduled for Bellerive Oval last month was postponed.

But there are certain advantages Canberra boasts that present Manuka Oval as an extremely attractive option for CA.

For starters, Canberra remains a beacon of COVID normal throughout Australia, with a fully vaccinated rate exceeding 98 per cent for the eligible population.

It means no restrictions on capacity at Manuka Oval, which would allow upwards of 13,500 spectators for each day of a potential Ashes Test.

Contrast that with Tasmania, where the state is still operating on restrictions of one person per two square metres for public gatherings.

That would slash Bellerive's capacity to roughly 70 per cent, reducing it from 20,000 to 14,000 - putting it on par with Canberra, but with the added burden for broadcasters, and CA, of empty seats.

Canberra is also a far more accessible option logistically, with the final match of the Ashes scheduled to be played less than a week after the SCG Test.

With barely a turn of the steering wheel, players and staff could be in Canberra within three hours of jumping on the bus.

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But the real bonus would be the ease of shifting tonnes of broadcast equipment, straight down the Hume Highway over the course of half a day.

Going back to Melbourne becomes a near 12-hour operation, while the Bass Strait adds several layers of complication were they transiting to Hobart.

"I have no doubt that we would pack out Manuka for five days of the Test if it were to land here," Cricket ACT chief Olivia Thornton said.

"Logistically moving a Test from Sydney to Canberra comes into play to some extent.

"We've got a passionate community. The fact that we showed last year through the Big Bash campaign that we can produce quality pitches that are conducive to quality match play, that's in our favour."

Handing Canberra a fifth Ashes Test also offers CA a gold-plated opportunity to repay the capital for its role in propping up last season's COVID-ravaged summer.

Manuka Oval hosted 13 Big Bash League fixtures in 2020-21, more than any other city in Australia. Were it not for Canberra, the BBL would've been in serious jeopardy.

This summer the boutique ground has a much less frantic schedule, underpinned by just two BBL fixtures, a T20 international and a women's Ashes Test.

Cricket ACT also celebrates its 100^th anniversary next season, and an Ashes Test would be the ultimate early birthday present. Canberra also offers CA a way to avoid the inevitable accusations of favouritism should it opt for the SCG, or Melbourne.

Elite cricket returned to Canberra on Monday night when the Sydney Thunder kicked off their Big Bash campaign with a seven-wicket win over the Brisbane Heat.

It was new head curator Tom Fahey's first major assignment since taking over from Brad Van Dam, and his groundstaff produced a wicket offering plenty for both teams.

"It was coming onto the bat, and the bowlers dug in and they got a fair bit out of it, there was a little bit of swing around as well," Fahey said.

"[We would be] ready as ever [to host a Test]. It's something you all dream about and would love to do.

"It arguably could produce something like [Monday night], and I think both parties would be pretty happy.

"Conditions change from now to January so obviously it's going to be a lot warmer and we'll probably have a lot more sunlight.

"If we had the opportunity to do it we'd be very very excited to do it."

Much water still needs to pass under the bridge for Canberra to be awarded a second ever men's Test match.

Money talks, and the Tasmanian government is reportedly prepared to throw fistfuls of it at CA if it means delivering a result for their cricket-starved fans - who have had nought to celebrate this summer after their home-grown Australian captain Tim Paine stepped away from the game in disgrace.

Sydney and Melbourne are also greedily eyeing a second Test for the summer, and their respective venue capacities are hard to ignore given the possible financial windfall they could net for CA. Let's not forget Perth's shiny new stadium can now harbour 60,000, and that's a lot of bums of seats to be missing out on.

But this may not be a decider, in which case bums on seats might not be a factor.

If England's start on day one of the Gabba Test is anything to go by, this series may well be over by day three of the MCG Boxing Day Test.

There is one last argument working in Canberra's favour this summer. That's the Women's Ashes Test, which Manuka Oval will host from January 27.

Should we be handed the fifth Test, it would provide a perfect lead in to Canberra's other showpiece fixture this summer, and deliver the capital an unprecedented Ashes double.

"The Ashes, whether it's in the male space or the female space, is probably the pinnacle of our game," Thornton said.

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