Manuka Oval became Australia's 11th Test venue when Marcus Harris faced up to Sri Lankan quick Kasun Rajitha with the backdrop of 8556 fans clapping in unison on Friday morning.

While the crowd figure left a little to be desired, the moment was the culmination of years of hard work, so many that one can't help but wonder why it took so long.

Before Manuka Oval's Test debut came those of the staples, the venues upon which kids dream of scoring a Test century or bagging a five-wicket haul to win the Ashes for Australia.

They are ingrained in our nation's cricketing psyche - the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Sydney Cricket Ground, Adelaide Oval, Perth Stadium and the Gabba.

Before Perth's new facility came the WACA Ground, Bellerive Oval and Brisbane Showgrounds - venues steeped in history.

Then there is Cairns' Cazaly's Stadium and Darwin's Marrara Oval. Not exactly glistening with the mystique of Manuka Oval.

An impressive crowd on day one suggests Canberra's debut on the Test calendar is long overdue. Saturday's second day is set to be a full house while less than 4000 tickets remain for day three at a venue which holds up to 11,000 for cricket.

Day two is set to be the first sell-out of Australia's six-Test summer - admittedly in the smallest of the six venues - but the fervour of the region's cricket fanatics cannot be denied.

The success of the capital's inaugural Test could trigger a sweetener in Cricket Australia's next four-year deal with the ACT government to bring matches of the highest calibre to Canberra.

The deal is all but done with Twenty20 internationals potentially on the agenda, however the final piece of the puzzle hinges on how well-supported the Test match is.

Canberra is jostling with Hobart's Bellerive Oval for the sixth Test venue slot but recent crowd figures suggest the capital may well have edged its nose in front.

Just how much of an impact the novelty of the city's first Test match has on the promising attendance figures remains to be seen, but CA can only take it on face value.

Australia will host five Test matches next summer (two against Pakistan and three against New Zealand) and the same number during the 2020-21 season (one against Afghanistan, four against India).

Then comes a five-Test Ashes series against England, before another five of the best in 2022-23 (two against the West Indies, three against South Africa).

And we're at the end of the line. Time for a new deal. At first glance Canberra's status as the sixth venue would mean the city won't host a Test in the next four-year deal.

Unless of course Manuka Oval's status as the premier boutique venue in the country makes Canberra the perfect fit for a game not expected to draw huge crowds in other major cities.

Crowds continue to dwindle in Brisbane and the punters won't be expected to turn up in droves to see the likes of Afghanistan.

Why not play that game in Canberra? Another sell-out might not be realistic, but Cricket ACT chief executive James Allsopp wants the region to pride itself on those games.

"We really want to pride ourselves on those games that may not fill the MCG or the SCG or the bigger stadiums," Allsopp said.

"What better to place to play it rather than Manuka Oval, where 10-15,000 are going to be at capacity and it’s going to have a real sense of atmosphere where people feel close to the ground.

"It really creates that feeling in a packed house that can add value to any kind of cricket game."

If the dream of another Test in the near future doesn't come off, Canberra certainly won't be starved of elite cricket.

More short-format international cricket is coming to Canberra in a run launched by five women's Twenty20 World Cup fixtures in 2020 featuring the all-conquering Australian team.

Few nations can draw massive crowds to one-day internationals across Australia with India's ability to turn Melbourne into Mumbai impossible to match for other touring nations, which makes Manuka Oval's stature an ideal fit.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has committed a further $2.7 million to upgrading the venue in a move not designed to build a "mini-MCG" but to deliver the best boutique sporting arena in the country.

Additional shaded areas combined with the $11.6 million, four-storey media centre standing over one end of the ground makes Manuka Oval a ready-made Test venue.

A near half-a-million dollar resurfacing investment has paved the way for Brad Van Dam to create an outfield Nathan Lyon dubs "one of the best in the country if not the world" - all bias aside, of course.

Everything is in place. Manuka Oval is up to the Test.