New Zealand Cricket have threatened to pull the plug on the country's premier test venue after the ground's Museum Stand was deemed unsafe due to earthquake risk.
The venue has been home to test cricket since 1930 and is one of only 11 grounds in the world to have hosted more than 50 test matches, but that status is in jeopardy after a New Zealand Cricket (NZC) edict declaring the stand must be repaired and open for business before England tour these shores next summer.
The stand was constructed in 1926 and, before the recent test against South Africa, was declared unsafe by Wellington City Council (WCC) - the owners of the ground. It was subsequently closed for the test, something NZC wants to avoid next summer.
Basin Reserve Trust spokesman John Morrison, also a Wellington City councillor, said the stand would require between $4 million and $5 million to fix and the council planned to have work carried out in 2016.
But NZC advised the Basin Reserve Trust it must be done sooner rather than later.
"It was not a direct threat but a veiled threat,'' Morrison said. "Obviously, we'd get it fixed tomorrow but the Trust hasn't got that sort of money, and the council is loath to spend that money on a building that doesn't get used that often.''
Having hosted its maiden first class game in 1868, the Basin Reserve is the oldest cricket ground in the country, making the prospect of losing it unthinkable to Morrison.
"We certainly want to fix it and we certainly want to host test matches. The Basin Reserve is so steeped in history and is a very much-loved cricket ground, not only in New Zealand but around the world.''
He believed the timeframe of having the stand up to standard by next summer was unrealistic.
"Time is of some issue - if we slapped $4m on the table tomorrow, we'd still have to go through all the engineering stuff, then resource consent, then Historic Places Trust. We'd struggle to get it done in time for England.
"It is a bit of a dilemma, but the Basin Reserve Trust is quite adamant we can maintain the ground for test cricket. We believe we can find a way.''
The most likely solution involves cooperation and compromise between NZC, WCC and the Basin Reserve Trust. Morrison said, although it was the prerogative of NZC to allocate tests to any venue in the country, the New Zealand sporting community would be "bloody horrified'' if the Basin was bereft of action even for a solitary summer.
"We'd like to think we can work together with NZC and the council and come to a solution. As a trust, we have to look at the options and talk to NZC. We would like to be in partnership with NZC because we both think the Basin Reserve is too special to be an adversarial thing.''
