Cricket Australia (CA) chief executive Kevin Roberts has tried to cool the exasperation of the Western Australian Cricket Association (WACA) for not receiving the hosting rights for an India Test during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy scheduled to be played later this year.

Roberts said that the decision to skip Perth and make Brisbane Gabba one of the venues was a conscious decision to keep a balance in the “cycle of the Future Tours Programme”.

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“If Perth received the India Test (this year), it would mean that Perth would have hosted two England Tests and two India Tests over the eight-year cycle for a total of four … whereas Brisbane would have only hosted two,” Roberts told reporters as per The West Australian.

“So that would have created an imbalance over the cycle of the Future Tours Programme,” he added.

CA on Wednesday decided that the four-match Test series would be played at Brisbane Gabba, Adelaide Oval, Melbourne Cricket Ground and the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Gabba would host the opening match from December 3. While the second match in Adelaide from December 11 will be India’s first away Day-Night Test, the ones in Melbourne and Sydney will be the traditional Boxing Day and New Year Tests respectively.

“And in the national interest and ensuring we take high-profile Test matches to cricket fans in Queensland, it was a more well-balanced solution. Assuming, of course, that we could get full crowds in play, that’s when this schedule was determined,” he added.

“The more balanced solution was to play the India Test in Brisbane, meaning over the eight-year cycle it would see Perth hosting three Tests against India and England and Brisbane also hosting three Tests against India and England.”

Earlier, WACA chief executive Christina Matthews had expressed disappointment over the national body’s decision to bypass Perth as one of the four Test venues against India.

“This is the second time we haven’t had India scheduled, the last time we were told it was because our venue wasn’t good enough and if we supported a new stadium, this would never happen again, and here we are again,” ESPNCricinfo quoted Matthews as saying.

As per Cricket Australia’s (CA) schedule, WACA will be hosting a Day-Night Test between Australia and Afghanistan from November 21 which will also kickstart the home season at the Down Under.

“I want to make it clear, hosting a Test is a privilege, not a right and we understand that, and we’re as privileged to host Afghanistan as anyone else and we’ll certainly put on a really good show and welcome Afghanistan to the Test arena in Australia,” Matthews said.