An autumn Test match in Hobart between, say, Pakistan and Sri Lanka is an unlikely prospect.

But it's the sort of possibility that Tasmanian cricket authorities are thinking about as they look for ways to minimise the weather lottery of Tests in spring and ensure the handsome new facilities at Bellerive Oval get decent use.

The thinking started before the rain-ruined second Test between Australia and New Zealand ended in a draw today.

Hobart gets a Test every second year and it's usually in late spring, with a mixture of money and tradition making it the pauper when the seasonal cricketing spoils are divided among the capitals.

Apart from anything else, it simply doesn't get the crowds the mainland cities attract.

Australian captain Steve Waugh, who loves coming to Hobart and playing at Bellerive, believes this is largely a matter of culture and more people would come if more Tests were played.

The Tasmanian Cricket Association would also love more Tests, but realises this is unlikely on current thinking.

However TCA chief executive David Johnston said it would prefer its next - in 2003-04 when India and Pakistan are scheduled to tour - in December rather than November.

Hobart, contrary to popular belief, is Australia's second driest capital, after Adelaide.

But a lot of its rain tends to fall in spring.

It's always a lottery. The previous Hobart Test, when Adam Gilchrist and Justin Langer produced their famous last day run chase to beat Pakistan, didn't lose a minute. The one before that, also against New Zealand, suffered badly.

As the TCA appreciates, delaying the Test a few weeks would only provide a statistically slightly better chance of rain-free days.

However the TCA thinks there are other possibilities.

It's possible, for example, that if serious civil unrest occurred in another Test-playing country - Pakistan is the most obvious immediate example, followed by Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe - Hobart could be used as a neutral venue for Tests involving two non-Australian sides.

Tests have only previously been played in neutral countries when rare multi-nation tournaments are held.

Johnston said April would be a good month. It may be a little cool, but it's usually dry and the light is still good.

Spring, however, may turn out to be a good time after all. The latest long-range climate change predictions expect Tasmania to have wetter winters, with the rest of the year drier.

© 2001 AAP