Queenstown might get Test status next season

Queenstown may have missed out on getting a Test match this season, but indications are that the wait will be over soon, perhaps as early as next season.

According to a New Zealand Press Association report, Martin Snedden, the New Zealand Cricket chief executive, suggested that Queenstown had been in contention to host a Test this year as well: "In the end the infrastructure wasn't quite ready for this season, but we'll definitely be keeping Queenstown in mind for future tours."

Queenstown has been allotted only one one-day international this season - against Sri Lanka on January 2 - but Snedden's statements indicate that it can expect more international games in the future. The picturesque John Davies Oval at Queenstown has so far hosted two ODIs, one in each of the last two seasons.

The idea of adding another Test centre has become important after NZC's stalemate with the Otago Rugby Football Union (ORFU), which has meant that no international matches would be hosted at Dunedin's Carisbrook Stadium this season. NZC wanted to schedule a mid-week one-day international against Australia at the ground, for which it wanted no rugby games to be played there for five days before the ODI, but ORFU immediately rejected the idea. Instead, it suggested that a foam mat be placed on the pitch square to prevent damage to that area, a proposal Snedden thought was far too risky: "There's no doubt about it - if something went wrong after we played a rugby match at an ODI venue, we'd be the laughing stock of world cricket."