Manuka Oval is set for another blockbuster summer of cricket, while Canberra is ready to mobilise at a moment's notice should the sport's national body need to lean on the capital once more to navigate any potential Covid disruptions.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Cricket ACT boss Olivia Thornton has announced several more enticing fixtures for the territory which includes a Sheffield Shield, and one-day heavyweight clash between NSW and Victoria.
The Meteors will also play two Women's National Cricket League matches at Manuka Oval, while Australia A will take on England A in three Twenty20 tour matches at Phillip Oval, the territory's second cricketing venue.
That adds to a Manuka Oval schedule which already includes two Big Bash matches in December, a women's Ashes Test in January, and a T20 international between Australia and New Zealand on February 8.
And Thornton has vowed the capital would be ready to spring into action if Cricket Australia called on it again to save its summer.
"That's been our attitude in the winter months as well with AFL, let's just be ready to go and be able to move quickly and carefully, and let's have everything in place from a contingency perspective," Thornton said.
"Our ability to be able to flick the switch safety and quickly is going to be critical. There's lots of discussions happening at the moment in terms of biosecurity. . .from an international perspective right down the chain.
"Hopefully we're in a good position come the summer months but as we've seen in the last little bit it can change hourly, so we need to make sure we're ready to go regardless of the situation."
Canberra effectively saved the Big Bash League last summer, with Manuka Oval hosting an astonishing 13 fixtures in the competition including three key finals match ups. No venue in Australia hosted more Big Bash cricket.
MORE CANBERRA SPORT
The Big Bash fixture pile up followed on from two T20 internationals at Manuka between Australia and India.
This summer promises much more variety for Canberra cricketing fans, gravitating around what officials have unofficially dubbed the "Festival of the female game", which will also include the under-16s girls national championships.
Its jewel in the crown is the four-day Test match between Australia and England, which kickstarts the women's Ashes series.
"Any time you get to host a match like that it's certainly very special, we know how well supported the men's Test match was against Sri Lanka [in 2019] and I have no doubt our local community will get around this particular fixture," Thornton said.
"January is absolutely jam packed with female cricket. We've got WNCL being played at Manuka, we've got the Australia A v England at EPC [Phillip Oval].
"We've got the Test match and we've got that younger generation of players coming through the pathway in terms of the under-16s National Championships.
"We can't wait to be able to showcase that level of cricket here in Canberra. It's school holidays so no doubt there's plenty of opportunity for people to come and enjoy quality players running around.
"We've got a Test match, we've got Shield, we've got Marsh Cup, Thunder coming to town through the BBL, we've got some England A women's matches.
"It's jam packed and regardless of what form of the game you enjoy, there's an opportunity for you to enjoy that."
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
