Mackay’s Great Barrier Reef Arena will become the fourth venue in Queensland to host Test cricket when the second Test against Bangladesh is staged at the ground later this year.
Mackay Test Welcomed
Queensland Cricket today welcomed the announcement by Cricket Australia of the venues and dates for the two-Test series against Bangladesh in northern Australia later this year.
The Tests will be played in Darwin (Marrara Stadium, 13-17 August 2026) and Mackay (Great Barrier Reef Arena, 22-26 August 2026).
Darwin will also host Test cricket for the first time since 2004 when Sri Lanka played Australia.
Great Barrier Reef Arena at Mackay’s Harrup Park will join the Brisbane Exhibition Ground, the Gabba and Cazalys in Cairns as Queensland Test cricket venues.
This will be the first Test match played in the city of Mackay with Great Barrier Reef Arena having established itself as a significant international cricket venue over the past decade.
Mackay hosted men’s and women’s international matches over the last two northern winters, as well as four-day Australia A matches against New Zealand and India in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
It has also successfully staged Weber Women’s Big Bash League matches, Sheffield Shield and Domestic One Day games and the National Indigenous Cricket championships.
Queensland Cricket CEO Terry Svenson congratulated all involved for their efforts in securing a Test match in Mackay.
“The announcement of Test cricket returning to regional Queensland represents the culmination of many years of hard work from numerous individuals across several organisations,’’ he said.
“Congratulations to Terry Doolan and the Mackay Cricket Association and Adrian Young and the Harrup Park Country Club on reaching this milestone. Former QC Director Barry Jansen was a fierce advocate for Mackay for many years and we thank him for his determined efforts to realise this goal as well.”
“The Mackay Regional Council has supported cricket in the region for many years, and we thank them for their investment. The Queensland Government and Federal Government continues to back cricket through backing major initiatives like Great Barrier Reef Arena as well as other vital infrastructure and grassroots support.”
The pre-sale period for tickets to the international summer of cricket will be open to CricketPlus members and will begin on Friday, June 5, 2026. Fans can join CricketPlus for free at cricket.com.au.
Tickets will go on sale to the public on Monday, June 15, 2026.
The Men’s Test Series against Bangladesh will be broadcast on Kayo Sports and Foxtel and Seven and 7plus.