The Gabba looks set to sign off its up-and-down summer with a strong one-day international crowd that could be pivotal to its chances of earning a prized pink-ball Test. 
Brisbane was pilloried for poor crowds to start the 2015-16 Test summer against New Zealand, even if the eventual total of 53,572 represented an attendance record for trans-Tasman red-ball cricket at the venue.
An unusually early start and the tourists' lack of drawing power were given as reasons, but rivals circling for Brisbane's Test or spot in the schedule were quick to suggest the fixture might be on the ropes and cricket on the nose with locals. Yet consistently strong crowds for the Big Bash League's Brisbane Heat - despite a tough campaign - showed there was an appetite for entertaining cricket, which should be affirmed with a predicted 30,000-plus crowd for Friday's ODI against India.
Such a crowd would be a major boost for the Gabba's chances of earning hosting rights for a day-night Test against South Africa in   November or early   December.
The runaway success of the Adelaide Test has made pink-ball cricket hot property, and the race has already heated up between the states to cash in on the popularity of the new format.
Sydney has boldly suggested it should host not one but two Tests - one early in the summer against South Africa (day-night) and then a traditional new year contest against Pakistan.
That would appear unlikely, but it shows the degree of lobbying as Cricket Australia begins to formulate one of the most-anticipated schedules for years.
CA would like to have its calendar released in the first quarter of this year, but will first undertake a review of the entire summer and its hits and misses.
The Adelaide Test blew the rest out of the water in terms of crowds and profile.
CA chief James Sutherland has already mentioned the Gabba as a potential day-night venue, while Queensland Cricket has been pressing its case, even if former players such as Ryan Harris have questioned the notion, given the difficulties of playing pink balls under lights.
The Australians travelled to Brisbane on Wednesday and will train at the ground on Thursday, with in-form Bulls batsman Usman Khawaja joining the squad for the second of the five-match series.