THE Indian cricket team are scheduled to arrive in Brisbane on Monday afternoon for a Test match which will never be played.

If, as expected, the first Test at the Gabba is rescheduled to January then the Indians visit to Brisbane this week seems pointless despite rumours they will play a multi-day trial match.

THE PHILLIP HUGHES I WILL MISS

WE LOVED HIM, ALWAYS WILL

FIRST TEST MAY BE DELAYED FOR GRIEVING PLAYERS

AB: HOW WILL SEAN ABBOTT RETURN?

CA PROMISES SAFETY REVIEW

SPORT’S RANDOM CRUELTY LEAVES CRICKET STUNNED

The Indians claimed on Sunday that they intended to make the flight, a surprising option given they are currently in Adelaide which will now be the venue for the first Test.

The challenge of rescheduling a Test match is not one Australian cricket is used to but has attacked with great conviction over the last few days in the wake of the death of Phillip Hughes.

Summer cricket schedules traditionally take almost a year to put into place because of the huge number of stakeholders involved.

In bygone eras the loss of a Test — or even the rescheduling of it — could have triggered a substantial financial loss for Queensland Cricket but in recent seasons Cricket Australuia has taken over the running of each domestic Test and each state is given a financial guarantee which will not change with the new Test date.

The prospect of a rescheduled Test does not faze Curator Kevin Mitchell who believes he can get a new pitch up to Test standard for a later date.

‘’There is a lot more risk of rain depression and tropical lows in Brisbane in late December and January,’’ Mitchell said.

“But realistically, if we get a date and enough time to get ready, we can certainly prepare a pitch then.’’

Test pitches do not materialise overnight and the strip which Mitchell had planned to use on Thursday had been the focus of his attention since late winter.

“We have scheduled all our pitch preparations around this Test and it’s something we have been aiming for months. A fair bit of intensive work and a lot of man hours have already gone into getting this pitch ready.

“And it’s not only the Test pitch but also the practice pitches because they had to be ready for practice sessions at least three or four days before the start of the Test.

“We have put at least a couple of weeks work into preparing the Test pitch and practice pitches.’’

The prospect of an abandoned Test would have left Channel Nine $8 million out of pocket due but there would have been no complaints from the broadcaster who are keen to do the right thing in extenuating circumstances.

The rescheduling of the match will not greatly disturb Nine given that match will not be held in ratings season.

Queensland Cricket staff spent Sunday in planning meetings — even though they were not certain of what they were planning for given that Cricket Australia officials spent most of the day negotiating behind the scenes.

Their first priority was to cater for the earliest possible day of the Test starting, Friday, given that Thursday had been ruled out as a starting option the day before due to Hughes’ funeral.

It’s is QC’s responsibility to hire net bowlers which may seem a small task but one which required discussion yesterday.

A minimum of eight bowlers per session are supplied to the Indian and Australian teams but Queensland likes to give them up to 12.

Many of the bowlers have jobs and need notice to take time off work at the new Test timeslot.

It is the same with staff who act as ushers. They often schedule their annual leave around the Gabba Test.

Food is a major issue.

The ordering of food for the Test — from fruit for the players to seafood platters for corporate boxes to chips for the fans — is a huge operation.