While as many as 17 wickets fell on the opening day of the First Test match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia at Perth’s Optus Stadium, it also saw the stadium recording its highest single-day attendance in a Test match with a total of 31,302 in attendance on Friday.
The stadium, which had replaced WACA as the Test venue in 2018 hosting the second Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy during India’s 2018-2019 tour, has so far played host to five Test matches including the one starting Friday and the 60,000 capacity stadium is expected to cross the 80,000 mark over the next four days of the Test if the Test goes on for all the days. Perth’s earlier record for a whole Test match stands at 1,03,440 during the third Ashes Test in December 2006.
With Australian pace bowling attack led by Josh Hazlewood running through India’s top order and the day seeing a towering six by Indian wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant which drew praise from the commentators and the crowd, the stadium also saw Australia losing their first five wickets for less than 40 runs. Earlier this month, when the stadium saw an attendance of only 19,781 during Pakistan’s series deciding win over Australia in the third ODI of the three-match series, Optus Stadium chief Mike McKenna had criticised Cricket Australia’s decision to rest five Australian players including captain Pat Cummins.
“Balancing players’ needs for rest and rotation is fair enough given the amount of cricket they need to play, but you don’t take all of them out at the same time and try and convince us putting WA players in a weakened team is a good idea for anyone. You don’t want to have all your players flying back, it’s about balance. To take so many good players out of the squad late in the piece is a bit of a slap in the face for those who make the commitment of buying tickets for those games in advance,” McKenna had told Sydney Morning Herald earlier this month.
The Optus has a Test match attendance record of 81,104 across a Test during the first Test played at the venue between India and Australia in 2018. The 60,000 capacity stadium had missed hosting a Test match during India’s last tour in 2020-2021 as well in the Ashes against England the following year due to strict state measures due to Covid-19.
