CA CEO open to dropping MCG from T20 World Cup Final

Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg has opened the door on the 2028 T20 World Cup Final not being hosted at the MCG.

With Australia and New Zealand set to host the 11th edition of the 20-over tournament, there has been speculation surrounding which venues will be used.

As the hosting rights are split across the Tasman Sea like the 2015 Cricket World Cup, it means Australia will only have five venues used, with one state to miss out altogether.

This has subsequently created a ‘bidding war’ amongst the state governments over who’ll host some of the 55 matches.

But the most contested battle so far has been the final, with South Australia reportedly throwing their hat in the ring for the match.

While most expect that the hosting rights will be given to Victoria and the MCG — given the ground has hosted the final in every ICC major tournament held in Australia (bar the 2009 Women's Cricket World Cup) — when fixtures and venues are confirmed, Greenberg has made a point that it’s all still up for grabs.

“We do have a say,” Greenberg said on SEN’s Whateley.

“I’ll be on the board along with Mike Baird, our chairman. We’ll be on the board of the ICC’s LOC (Local Organising Committee).

“The short answer is I can see it. I can see it played in almost any state.

“Because, yes, one thing people will reference is capacity and how many seats we can sell.

“But the appetite of state governments all over this country is very, very engaged on major sport content.

“South Australia have shown that, Western Australia have shown that, the Queensland government have shown that.

“We’d be foolish to rule anything in or anything out. So, game on at the moment.”

Particularly if they can offer a deal that would outweigh the loss of revenue from a sold-out MCG.

“That will depend on the cheque and support that a state government can come to and what else they can put to that offering,” he added.

“I think we need to have an open mind to those sorts of things. There’s a reason why the MCG has had it because it’s the biggest, and it feels like the mecca of cricket.

“But we’ve got some pretty good stadiums in other parts of the country. They are not the same size, mind you, so there would be a lesser number of seats.

“But there’s an open mind from those who’ll make that decision to see what would happen.”

The next men’s T20 World Cup is set to take place between October and November in 2028.

12 of the 20 countries have already booked their spot in the competition.