The Gabba is one of the rarest stadiums to have witnessed a golden goal
With one game won each, Australia and India are proving why the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is one of the most coveted Test series in the game's history. While India started exceptionally well, momentum went in favour of the Aussies at the Adelaide Oval. Now, it feels the third game could also go in their favour, given their dominance over opponents at the Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as the Gabba.
Speaking about Gabba, the stadium is obviously famous for cricket, but there's more than just cricket. Ahead of the third Test between host Australia and visitor India, check out these mind-blowing lesser-known facts about the cricket ground.
You can never tell whether there is a crowd at the Gabba or not.
— Ragav 𝕏 (@ragav_x) November 14, 2024
The Gabba features unique multicolored seats, designed by a computer algorithm to create the illusion of a crowd, even when the stadium isn’t full. pic.twitter.com/Scp1nlt528
The Gabba has witnessed some of the rarest moments in world sports, not only limited to cricket. To begin with, Gabba was the first Australian stadium to host a T20 international match between Australia and South Africa—a game that Australia won by 95 runs.
The stadium also saw the first-ever tied Test match in cricket's history, a game between Australia and the West Indies in 1960. Apart from cricket, the Gabba also enjoyed a golden goal between Cameroon and Brazil during the semi-final of the 2000 Summer Olympics. A golden goal was rare, given that the format was not appreciated and kept alive for a long period.
Although Cameroon won, Ronaldinho was one of the goal scorers in the mentioned game.
As we mentioned earlier, the Gabba stadium is more than just a cricket stadium. Apart from serving as the home of the Brisbane Heat and Queensland Bulls cricket teams, it is also the home turf of the Brisbane Lions AFL team. The stadium regularly hosts football matches, including Australian Rules Football matches, AFL Grand Finals, athletics, baseball, cycling, rugby, football, pony races, and greyhound races.
The Gabba has undergone a series of renovations in a bid to successfully host several athletics tournaments. From the football games of the 2000 Olympics to the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the Gabba has spared no expense to keep itself as progressive as possible to host as many types of sports as possible. Not to forget, the Gabba is expected to be demolished and reconstructed for the 2032 Olympics, given that Queensland, Australia, is the host city.
The search for a Brisbane Olympics venue could be over with the Gabba back on the cards to be picked as the official stadium. #9News pic.twitter.com/TxEwsmOEKO
— 9News Queensland (@9NewsQueensland) December 3, 2024
In 2017, Adele fever hit Brisbane, and what better place to hold a concert than the Gabba? The UK-based singer rocked the stadium with her soothing voice while 130,000 spectators grooved on the grass despite the stadium's seating capacity of only 42,000.
As most sports enthusiasts are well aware, the Gabba is located in Brisbane, the capital of the Australian state of Queensland. However, many may not be aware that the stadium is situated in a suburb named Woolloongabba. Given the suburb's peculiar and lengthy name, it was shortened, and the stadium acquired the name 'Gabba.'
The Gabba holds Australia's most impressive Test record, i.e., staying unbeaten from 1989 till 2020. As of 2024, Australia has won 42 games at this venue, lost 13, tied 1, and lost 10 matches at the Gabba. In 2020, the invincible streak was broken by India.
Will India get back on its feet and win again, or will the host stick to their winning momentum?
