A WALLABIES test, the Hockeyroos and Kookaburras, the Socceroos, the Australian men’s and women’s cricket teams, an Anzac rugby league test, City versus Country Origin, the Davis and Fed Cups… these are the events the ACT Government is looking to attract to Canberra in the foreseeable future.

While it would be great to see the Wallabies back in Canberra for a test against Argentina in 2017 or the Socceroos playing a World Cup qualifier in spring at Canberra Stadium, there is one existing event that needs to be locked away as a priority.

The Prime Minister’s XI cricket game has been an institution in Canberra since Sir Robert Menzies established it in 1951. It has been a permanent fixture at Manuka since 1984 when Bob Hawke resurrected it after it went missing from the calendar in 1966.

While the games have gone ahead it hasn’t been without pain at times with varying significance given to the matches by both the visiting teams and Australian Cricket. It has sometimes resembled an exhibition game while at others it has been an important test for young developing cricketers, such as David Boon.

It has developed into a vital part of the sporting year in Canberra and, if there are no international games, it is often the only time people in the ACT get to see top-level cricket.

More recently, it has been a battle to fit the game into Cricket Australia’s program with visiting teams playing a plethora of T20, one dayers as well as tests. It has become increasingly difficult to schedule the game into a permanent time slot each year. The date of the games has shifted from December, January to February.

In the past it has been one of the main sources of revenue for junior development in Canberra. That brings with it uncertainty over funding of the sport in the ACT if there is a washout.

I have been hearing that Cricket Australia is looking to take control of the fixture, which is a positive move as it eradicates the reliance on the game for ACT Cricket.

It could also lead to Cricket Australia permanently factoring the game into the schedule thus alleviating the current ad hoc approach.

The PM’s XI has managed to attract sponsors and good crowds and, for many, it is an important and entertaining spectacle.

For its part, the ACT Government has been seeking clarity from Cricket Australia to ensure the PM’s XI has a permanency in Canberra. The government has done its part with state-of-the-art lighting and improved facilities.

There is also the government’s multi-million-dollar investment in the new headquarters for ACT Cricket at Phillip Oval, complete with lights, indoor and outdoor training facilities and administration.

Canberra, it would appear, has done everything possible to support cricket, it is now up to Cricket Australia to provide certainty for the PM’s XI.