Brisbane's ground plays two ways, and this Gabba pitch report treats them separately. In the Big Bash League, the Gabba has become a batter's ground. BBL|15 first-innings totals ranged from 171 to 257, and the chasing side won four of the five games. In Test cricket it is still a fast bowler's ground: four of the six leading Test wicket-takers here are quicks, and in December 2022 a Test was over within two days.
For a Brisbane Heat home game, treat 180 as a par score rather than a winning one. The ground's all-time BBL first-innings average is about 170, but the last three seasons have run closer to 180.
Quick verdict
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Batting or bowling? | Batting in recent BBL seasons; pace bowlers' ground in Tests |
| Pace or spin? | Pace and bounce first; spin is a support act |
| Good BBL first-innings score | 180 is par lately; 200+ is good but has been chased |
| Bat first or chase? | Chasers won 9 of 10 games in BBL|14 and BBL|15; it swung the other way in BBL|12 and BBL|13 |
| Test pattern | The side bowling first has won 7 of the last 10 Gabba Tests |
| Main weather factor | Summer rain and storms in Brisbane |
The Gabba at a glance
The Gabba, officially the Brisbane Cricket Ground, is in the Brisbane suburb of Woolloongabba. Its first Test was against South Africa in November 1931. The Queensland Government owns it, Stadiums Queensland runs it, and it holds about 37,000, a little less for international cricket. It is home to Queensland in the Sheffield Shield, the Brisbane Heat in the BBL (the Heat's WBBL side plays its home games mainly at Allan Border Field), and the Brisbane Lions in the AFL. Bowlers run in from the Vulture Street End or the Stanley Street End.
Like the SCG, the Gabba is reported to prepare its pitches in its own centre square rather than using drop-ins: Queensland wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson made that point to AAP in December 2022. The oval is large (about 171 by 150 metres, sized for AFL), and an AAP report from December 2025 put Adelaide Oval's square boundaries roughly 10 metres shorter than the Gabba's. That suggests Brisbane's big totals don't depend on short square boundaries.
According to the Gabba's Wikipedia entry, the Queensland Government announced a new stadium at Victoria Park in March 2025, and the Gabba is due to be demolished after the 2032 Olympics.
What's on at the Gabba in 2026-27
There is no Test at the Gabba in the 2026-27 summer. Cricket Australia left it off the schedule amid uncertainty over the ground's future, and the four New Zealand Tests are in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. The Gabba hosts the third men's T20I against England on 27 November 2026. The Heat's five BBL|16 home games are all at the Gabba:
- v Sydney Sixers, 15 December 2026
- v Adelaide Strikers, 28 December 2026
- v Hobart Hurricanes, 1 January 2027
- v Perth Scorchers, 8 January 2027
- v Sydney Thunder, 17 January 2027
Gabba pitch report for Big Bash games
The numbers here cover every BBL season from the first in 2011-12 to BBL|15, which finished in January 2026.
The game that defines the recent Gabba was played on 19 December 2025. Perth Scorchers made 257/6, and the Heat chased it down with a ball to spare. Matt Renshaw hit 102 and Jack Wildermuth an unbeaten 110 in a second-wicket stand of 212. As cricket.com.au's match report recorded, it was the highest successful chase in BBL history, and 212 is the competition's biggest partnership for any wicket.
That match was an outlier, but the trend behind it is real. Over BBL|13 to BBL|15, Gabba first-innings totals averaged about 180. In BBL|15 the lowest of them was 171. The Heat also chased targets of 196 against the Stars and 181 against the Thunder, both with balls to spare.
The toss trend is less settled. Over 70 BBL matches at the Gabba, the side batting first won 32 and the chasing side 36, with one tie and one no-result. In BBL|12 and BBL|13, sides batting first won eight of the nine decided games. In BBL|14 and BBL|15, chasing sides won nine of ten. So history alone does not settle the decision at the toss. Our toss guide explains why.
Score bands over BBL history show where par sits. The table counts first innings that lasted the full 20 overs or ended all out. It leaves out two rain-shortened innings, both of which ended in defeat for the side batting first.
| Score batting first | Defended | Chased down |
|---|---|---|
| Below 160 | 5 | 18 |
| 160–179 | 13 | 8 (plus 1 tie) |
| 180–199 | 9 | 5 (plus 1 no-result) |
| 200 and over | 5 | 3 |
Seamers lead the bowling. Mark Steketee has taken 50 BBL wickets at the Gabba, the most of anyone, and Xavier Bartlett 37 at an average under 19. None of the ground's top three BBL wicket-takers is a spinner.
T20 internationals
The Gabba has hosted 12 men's T20Is, and the side batting first won eight of them, with one no-result. As of October 2026, the highest total in those games is Australia's 209/3 against South Africa in January 2006. The most recent, against India in November 2025, was abandoned because of rain after 4.5 overs.
Test cricket at the Gabba
For more than three decades the Gabba was Australia's fortress. After losing to West Indies in November 1988, Australia went 31 Tests there without defeat (24 wins and seven draws). That run lasted 32 years, until India chased 328 on the final day in January 2021. India's 329/7 is still the highest successful fourth-innings chase at the ground.
The pitch has a strong reputation for pace and bounce. Shane Warne (68) took the most Test wickets here, but he is followed by Glenn McGrath (65) and Mitchell Starc (58), and Pat Cummins has 44 at an average of 18.50. Recent Tests show three things:
- The extreme: the December 2022 Test against South Africa ended within two days, with 34 wickets falling. The ICC rated the pitch "below average", and match referee Richie Richardson said it favoured the bowlers too much.
- The pink ball: the Gabba has hosted four day-night Tests (2016, 2019, 2024 and 2025). West Indies won the January 2024 match by eight runs after Shamar Joseph took 7/68. As of October 2026, that is Australia's only men's day-night Test defeat on the day/night cricket record.
- The latest: in the December 2025 day-night Ashes Test, Joe Root made an unbeaten 138, but Australia replied with 511 and won by eight wickets. Starc took 6/75 and Michael Neser 5/42.
The toss pattern is unusual: the side bowling first won seven of the last ten Gabba Tests, from December 2016 to December 2025. The side batting first won two, and the other was drawn.
Scores and records at the Gabba
Men's records at the Gabba, correct to the end of the 2025-26 summer:
| Format | Highest total | Notable low | Best successful chase |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBL | 258/2, Heat v Scorchers, Dec 2025 | 90 all out, Heat v Strikers, Jan 2022 | 258/2, same match |
| T20I | 209/3, Australia v South Africa, Jan 2006 | 64/9 (seven overs a side), Pakistan v Australia, Nov 2024 | 161/4, Australia v South Africa, Jan 2009 |
| ODI | 324/7, Australia v West Indies, Feb 2010 | 71 all out, Pakistan v West Indies, Jan 1993 | 309/3, Australia v India, Jan 2016 |
| Test | 645, Australia v England, 1946 | 58 all out (twice, 1936 and 1947) | 329/7, India v Australia, Jan 2021 |
The Gabba has not staged a men's ODI since January 2018.
Rain, storms and the evening start
Rain is a regular summer risk in Brisbane, and it has shaped recent games here. The December 2024 Test against India was drawn after only 13.2 overs were possible on day one, with more time lost later in the match. The November 2025 T20I against India was washed out. When rain is forecast, a shortened chase becomes more likely, and in a DLS chase it helps to keep wickets in hand.
BBL|16 games at the Gabba start in the early evening local time. Averages only go so far at this ground: it produced a two-day Test in 2022 and a 515-run T20 three years later, so the match-day pitch is worth a look before you lean on history.
Where CricGuru fits for a Gabba fixture
What goes into CricGuru's number? Four things: how each team has been playing recently, their record against each other, how strong they are on the table (measured in points per game), and a modest boost for the home side. Each prediction also comes with a match preview written by the AI.
What's left for you? Everything about the ground. The surface, the venue, the forecast and the toss don't feed the model. At the Gabba that mostly means scoring and rain. A total that would compete at the SCG can be below par here.
To try it, find a Heat game on the live and upcoming matches page, sign in and ask for the prediction. Signing up is free and comes with a one-time trial of a few predictions; the paid Pro and Elite plans raise that limit. Team pages are linked from the CricGuru teams hub while a side has fixtures coming up.
FAQ
Is the Gabba a pace-bowling pitch?
In Tests, yes. Fast bowlers dominate the wicket lists, and the ICC rated the December 2022 pitch "below average" after a two-day Test. In the BBL, seamers still take the most wickets, but the surface has also produced the competition's biggest run chase.
Is 180 enough at the Gabba in the BBL?
It is par rather than a winning score, based on recent seasons, and 200 is safer but not safe. Over BBL history, sides that made 180 to 199 batting first won nine of 14 decided games, and three 200-plus totals have been chased down, including 257 in December 2025.
Should you bat or bowl first at the Gabba?
In the BBL, chasing sides won nine of ten games across BBL|14 and BBL|15, but sides batting first had dominated in the two seasons before that. In Tests, the side bowling first has won seven of the last ten.
What is the highest score at the Gabba in the BBL?
The Heat's 258/2 against the Perth Scorchers on 19 December 2025, which chased down Perth's 257/6. It is the highest successful chase in BBL history.
Is the Gabba being demolished?
Not yet. Under current plans it goes after the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, with a new stadium planned at Victoria Park.
The Brisbane summary
Expect high scores, quick bowling and the risk of a summer storm. Treat 180 as a par score at the Gabba, not a winning one. To compare it with Sydney, where BBL scores run lower, read the SCG pitch report. For the summer's big west-coast ground, see the Perth Stadium pitch report, and for short square boundaries, the Adelaide Oval guide.