As WACA authorities manoeuvre behind the scenes to move international cricket to the nearby $1.6 billion Perth Stadium, ground staff were using leaf blowers to dry the famous pitch after overnight rain. It's understood the damp patch on a good length at the Lillee Marsh End was caused not by any holes in the covers but "sweating" under the hessian mat.

Play did not resume until 1pm local time, three hours after the scheduled start, after groundsmen battled showers and squally winds to get the pitch ready. One was floored after being cleaned up by the tarpaulin cover which had been lifted by a strong gust. He avoided injury.

The drama came at a poor time for traditionalists who want international matches to stay at the spiritual home of West Australian cricket. They appear to be fighting a losing cause with Cricket Australia saying any match with an attendance forecast of more than 15,000 per match day will be staged at Perth Stadium.

WACA chief Christina Matthews told Fairfax Media last week "there are not many Test matches that wouldn't get 15,000 a day at a new venue", which has a capacity of 60,000.

"That will come down to Cricket Australia's scheduling. With a fantastic stadium over the road, I don't know if you've seen it, it's brilliant, I'm sure Cricket Australia in terms of international cricket will be wanting to play as big a games there as they can, and the main Test nations," Matthews said on ABC Grandstand on Monday. "So it does come down to what's scheduled here."

The WACA could conceivably play host to Test minnows Afghanistan and Ireland though CA may see it as a good opportunity to stage those games in regional cities instead.

"At this stage we'll be working on what's best for cricket fans in WA, not what's best for the ground," Matthews said. "We've got great plans for the ground that are outside Test cricket and international cricket, so we're quite happy with the future of the ground. But most importantly, we've got to be able to say hand on heart that we want the best cricket at the best ground for the fans and the players.

"The traditionalists obviously love cricket here. This Test has been fantastic for people being involved and loving the Test. I haven't heard any people to be honest saying 'It's terrible they're going, this is where it should be played'. Everybody's looking forward to something new and exciting."

Perth Stadium will make its international debut on January 28 when it holds a one-day international against England. It has already been sold out.

"That will really give us a good idea of what the future's going to hold," Matthews said.

The WACA will be the "home of cricket forevermore", Matthews said, but its future was a community centre, which West Australian cricket officials believe will help its case for funding from the federal and state governments.

"We'll look to build high-performance facilities, [an] indoor centre that can be used when it's raining, recovery facilities, swimming pool, that all the cricket community can use," Matthews said. "At the moment we're restricted because of the facilities we've got here and the overlay of international cricket. So it's going to be a brilliant facility for the cricket community and the broader community. We're open to sharing those facilities with other sports."