Dark clouds over WACA, future uncertain

The WACA ground faces an uncertain future and could never again host a Test match with both Cricket Australia (CA) and International Cricket Council (ICC) believing that the venue is not up to international standards.

The WACA received its first setback when it was excluded from next summer's four-match Test series against India. Despite pressure from Channel Nine, Australia's official cricket broadcaster, and the Indian board, the CA decided against holding matches here due to poor facilities, reports Sydney Morning Herald.

CA, which is led by former WACA vice-president Wally Edwards, was quoted as saying in the Sydney Morning Herald that the ground had the smallest capacity of all the venues in contention to host matches and was in need of "significant improvements".

A $500 million redevelopment plan had been in the pipeline for almost seven years but was officially abandoned late Monday by the WACA.

The project had been intended to make the venue financially secure by linking an upgrade of the ground to the construction of commercial and residential buildings on the site, but disappointing pre-sales for that development has led to the scrapping of the plan.

"Despite strong sales up to November and a renewed marketing effort, we have been unable to achieve the pre-sales target required to achieve finance on acceptable terms in time to meet our commitments for the 2015 Cricket World Cup," WACA chairman Sam Gannon said in a statement explaining the decision.