Australia v England One-Day International to be played at Optus Stadium
  • One Day International scheduled for Sunday January 28, 2018
  • First official sporting event to be held at Optus Stadium expected to attract record-breaking crowd
  • Public tickets will be on sale at http://www.cricket.com.au from Friday, November 24

Optus Stadium will host the One Day International cricket match between Australia and England on Sunday January 28, 2018 – in what is expected to be the highest-attended sporting match in Western Australian history.

The match will be the first official sporting event to be held at Optus Stadium, about two months ahead of the original target opening date of the start of the 2018 AFL season.

The One Day International match will be the first of many cricket events held at Optus Stadium with the McGowan Government, Cricket Australia and the WACA agreeing that all Test matches and limited overs matches featuring England, South Africa and India – plus Big Bash League Twenty20 matches – will be played at the venue from 2018.

Remaining Perth international and domestic cricket fixtures will be played at the WACA Ground.

Optus Stadium incorporates a range of state-of-the-art cricket features including five drop-in cricket wickets, four indoor warm up wickets, 16 outdoor turf practice wickets and two dedicated player viewing rooms with direct access to both the change rooms and the playing surface.

In 2016, a prototype drop-in cricket wicket was constructed with the same soil profile as the WACA Ground wicket and tested under match conditions.  Following a successful testing phase an additional four wickets were developed, which aim to replicate the character of the WACA Ground wicket.

Cricket Australia requires ‘clean venues’ for all international cricket matches – meaning the stadium will be referred to as ‘Perth Stadium’ in all match-related coverage.

Tickets to the match will be available to the public via http://www.cricket.com.au from Friday, November 24.

Comments attributed to Sport and Recreation Minister Mick Murray:

“An international cricket match between Australia and the old enemy, England is the perfect opener for the world-class Optus Stadium.

“We will have a sell-out crowd in the stadium – while putting Perth on display to an international TV audience of millions.

“These kind of events attract tourists to not only attend the event, but fill hotel rooms and provide more business for local restaurants, bars and tourism operators.

“This match adds to the growing list of exciting events already booked at the venue and the McGowan Government continues to work towards securing as much sport and entertainment content as possible.

“The Australia-England rivalry is the oldest in Australian sport.  We look forward to welcoming the Barmy Army to Perth for a historic, record-breaking One Day International to kick-off sport at Optus Stadium in style.”