HUNDREDS of South Australian cricket fans have taken to the web and social media to express their outrage in Cricket Australia’s decision to strip Adelaide of its traditional Australia Day match.

More than 400 people commented on The Advertiser’s web and Facebook pages about their fury over Sydney stealing the international one-day match usually scheduled in Adelaide.

Paul wrote on Advertiser.com.au that the game was a “tradition” that would have been “absolutely brilliant” at the redeveloped Adelaide Oval.

“Can you imagine the outcry from over the border if the Boxing Day Test was moved elsewhere?” he wrote.

“Once upon a time, Test cricket was played at the Adelaide Oval over the Australia Day weekend, then it was the ODIs, now — nothing!”

Leslie Phillips agreed: “Absolute disgrace that the eastern states particularly Sydney and Melbourne get all of the big international games. How do they think they are going to grow the grassroots of the game in the other states?”

And Matthew Stott also wrote that the decision was the “biggest disgrace I have seen”.

“Sydney will get about half the crowd Adelaide Oval will, and there will be no feeling in the match.” he wrote.

SA cricket fans are not alone in their fury.

Sport Minister Leon Bignell said Cricket Australia was guilty of “graceful incompetence” for stripping Adelaide Oval of the game.

“We have built the best stadium in Australia, it is disappointing,” he said.

“CA didn’t put one cent into the development. In era of professionalism, cricket needs to grow up and get into the modern era, behave like a modern-day sporting organisation that allows us to capitalise on our $535 million expenditure and tourism potential that big games present at Adelaide Oval.”

Now considered the jewel in the crown of South Australian sport, the redeveloped 50,000 seat Oval will remain empty on a weekend that was previously a mecca for cricket fans, during the redeveloped stadium’s first summer of full operation.

Even before it poached the Australia Day match, the Sydney Cricket Ground was the big winner on the 2014-15 cricket calendar. As well as a New Year’s Test, it will host a World Cup semi-final, a quarter-final and pool matches involving Autsralia and England.

SACA members were encouraged to vote for the Oval upgrade to secure cricket’s future and a union with football in the city.

There are now concerns over Adelaide Oval’s ability to attract international cricket and whether it will regain any Australia Day one-day or Test matches.

YOUR SAY: What do you think of Adelaide Oval losing its traditional clash? Have your say below

The loss of the Australia Day game comes after SA Cricket Association and government were forced into a bidding war to stage the second Test between Australia and India, which The Advertiser can reveal will be played from December 12-16.

Mr Bignell would not disclose how much the Government - and/or SACA - had paid to retain the Test date and also land a World Cup quarter final on March 20.

Adelaide has only missed out on Australia Day action in 2003 and 2013 due to Adelaide Oval’s refit.

SACA - once routinely allocated Test and one-day games - has even lost a one-day fixture between Australia and South Africa to Canberra this year, on November 19.

Unless Michael Clarke’s men make the World Cup quarter finals, Adelaide faces a summer in which Australia does not play an international one-day match here.

Perth will miss a Test this season during India’s four-match Border-Gavaskar series.

CA boss James Sutherland told The Advertiser that 2014-15 was an unusual summer due to schedule complications caused by the 2015 ICC World Cup, to be staged through February and March.

“One of the critical things about this summer is that there are only four Test matches and there are venues around the country that are missing out on Test cricket,” he said.

“We’ve looked to complement them with other content, try and find a balance while at the same time, sharing matches around.”

The Advertiser has learned that Adelaide will host the second Test from December 12-16 and the Twenty20 opener between South Africa and Australia on November 7.

MORE: Adelaide 2014-15 international fixtures

Mr Bignell is angry that Cricket Australia will not officially release 2014-15 fixtures until next week.

“It’s nearly July. You would reckon Cricket Australia would put a schedule out when we are hosting a Test,” said Mr Bignell, who returned last week from a promotional mission to the subcontinent.

“CA hasn’t been telling anyone in the world when a Test will be played — that is inept management, a disgrace. They should have had this schedule out two months ago.”

However, Opposition Leader Steven Marshall criticised the Labor Government for being “asleep at the wheel” of event programming.

“Instead of negotiating with Martin Hamilton-Smith to join his dysfunctional Labor Cabinet, Premier Jay Weatherill should’ve been negotiating with Cricket Australia to retain Adelaide’s one-day international,” Mr Marshall said.

Adelaide’s World Cup highlights include a clash between arch rivals India and Pakistan on February 15 and a quarter-final on March 20.

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