Sydney Olympic Stadium to host Australian Twenty20 matches

AUSTRALIA will play Twenty20 cricket internationals at the 80,000 former Olympic Stadium in a shift away from the Sydney Cricket Ground.

BRANCHING OUT: The 2000 Olympic Stadium will host Australia's Twenty20 cricket matches to be held in Sydney

The SCG has hosted international cricket in Australia's largest city since 1882 but a deal between New South Wales state government and Cricket New South Wales will result in one Twenty20 international played in western Sydney for four years from 2011-2012.

The move is designed to attract larger crowds than is possible at the 46,000-seat SCG.

"We look forward to staging exciting, world-class cricket in front of local fans, along with the visitors from around the world we expect these matches to attract," said Cricket New South Wales chief executive David Gilbert.

It's a move that will surely not go unnoticed among London 2012 organisers with the England and Wales Cricket Board, as well as two counties, sounded out about playing matches at the 80,000 capacity stadium last year.

The Olympic Park Legacy Company formally launched the search for organisations interested in managing, operating or locating to the £537 million stadium last week and set an eight-week deadline for responses.

Controversy continues to rage over the future of the London 2012 Olympic Stadium with Locog chairman Lord Coe and Olympics minister Tessa Jowell hankering for an athletics stadium, while West Ham United FC have expressed an interest in moving in.

Mayor of Newham, one of the five Olympic boroughs, Sir Robin Wales has expressed concerns over the stadium becoming a white elephant - much like the way that many of the venues of the Athens 2004 Games have.

The iconic Bird's Nest - the athletics stadium in Beijing - has also seen very little action since 2008 but that is an accusation that cannot be levelled at Sydney.

Their Olympic stadium regularly hosts rugby league, Australian Rules football, football, rugby union, cricket and even speedway - London 2012 organisers take note.