Cricket authorities have raised “significant concerns” about the proposed Macquarie Point stadium, warning that its current roof design could make the venue unsuitable for cricket matches.
In a letter to the Tasmanian Government, as reported by the ABC, Cricket Australia and Cricket Tasmania outlined problems with shadows cast by the roof’s supporting structure over the pitch area.
“We are of the view the current roof design will mean the stadium is unlikely to be conducive to hosting test matches and could also be challenged in hosting One Day (50 over) and T20 (20 over) fixtures,” the letter states.
The timber-roofed stadium, which would be the world’s largest of its kind, was hoped to host the first-ever indoor test match.
However, cricket officials are now calling for a possible major redesign.
Cricket Tasmania had earlier supported the stadium designs, but updated shadow modelling this year exposed new issues.
According to the letter, they would “like to discuss” with the state government “what opportunity there is to consider a stadium design option that does not have a roof, or that has an operable roof”.
“This includes the impact of the shadows cast from the roof structure on the field of play, particularly on the cricket pitch block throughout the day and ultimately the implications for what forms of cricket the stadium could and could not support,” the letter continues.
The letter, co-signed by Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley and Cricket Tasmania chief executive Dominic Baker, was received by the government nearly two weeks ago, according to the ABC.
A roofed stadium with a 23,000-seat capacity at Macquarie Point is a key requirement of Tasmania’s AFL licence.
The Tasmanian Government is yet to comment.
