Gabba avoids Cricket Australia match ban

International matches will be played at the Gabba next summer after XXXX, Queensland Cricket's long-term sponsor, agreed to remove signs to their beach cricket series. Cricket Australia, who is backed by a rival brewer, wanted each state to sign a sponsorship agreement to avoid ambush marketing at the stadiums or they would be ineligible to host games.

Queensland Cricket reached an agreement this afternoon following an emergency meeting with the beer company, which has sponsored the state association since 1993. "XXXX put the interests of the cricket-loving public ahead of their commercial interest,'' Graham Dixon, the Queensland Cricket chief executive, said. "We had been working towards this for a number of months with a view to meeting next week's deadline imposed by Cricket Australia and were disappointed that this final stage was played out in the media."

Queensland Cricket will be required to "partially compensate" XXXX for the loss of the rights. "All the states can focus on whether the broader policy that we are being asked to sign is in the best interests of state cricket or whether it will undermine our ability to attract sponsorship revenue and ultimately affect grassroots cricket," Dixon said.

Dixon denied claims the issue revolved around ambush marketing by XXXX against one of Cricket Australia's main sponsors. "It is difficult to imagine how a company which has backed cricket in this state to the tune of $10 million over a period of more than 13 years and has iron-clad legal entitlements to display signage at the home of the game in Queensland could be accused of ambush marketing," he said.

"XXXX Gold Beach Cricket is clearly differentiated from any Cricket Australia competition and therefore cannot possibly be ambush marketing." The series features retired players from Australia - the Cricket Australia director Allan Border is the captain - England and West Indies in a modified game on the sand and is telecast by Channel Ten.