SCG loses Twenty20 internationals

Four Twenty20 internationals will be played at the Olympic stadium in Sydney over the next five years instead of at the city's traditional cricket home at the SCG. The first match will be held at the 82,000-seat complex in 2011-12 and there are three more games locked in.

"This is a significant move for cricket in New South Wales," Dave Gilbert, the chief executive of Cricket NSW, said. "The agreement will see international cricket hosted in western Sydney for the first time, providing local entertainment for the rapidly increasing fan base in Australia's fastest growing population centre."

Cricket NSW has been keen to take the game to more people and has played some of its domestic Twenty20s at the stadium. A Cricket NSW spokesman said negotiations with the SCG Trust were continuing for Test and one-day matches for the 2010-11 season and beyond. The SCG has been used for all international contests in the city since its first Test in 1881-82.