THE Sydney Cricket Ground Trust will overlook a plea from Sydney to name the grandstand under construction on the site of the old Hill after one of its players.

The honour will instead be bestowed upon a Test cricketer.

While the name is yet to be decided (one leading official is pushing for it to be named after Steve and Mark Waugh), the decision is certain to upset the Swans, who wanted the Trust to acknowledge the team's 25-year tenure at the ground.

"It is the Sydney Cricket Ground and the new stand was always going to be named after a cricketer," said SCG Trust chairman Rodney Cavalier.

"We have been naming other parts of the ground after AFL players or supporters of the Swans.

"There will also be internal fittings in the new grandstand which we'll be naming after people and you'll find that AFL will certainly get a guernsey there."

The stand is expected to be opened by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in early December and Cavalier said the cricketer whose name it would bear would be decided by SCG members, with consideration to public sentiment.

"The name will be known before the stand is opened," Cavalier said.

Swans chief executive Myles Baron-Hay had said he would love the new stand to feature the name of a Swans player.

"We'd be absolutely delighted if AFL was recognised when they name the new stand," he said.

The decision to name the stand after a cricketer makes perfect sense to Cricket NSW chief executive David Gilbert.

"With the greatest respect to the other sports, it's hard to imagine that the stand could be called after anyone else than a cricketer," Gilbert said. "Cricket's been continuously played at the ground for 150 years.

"There's many great candidates from that side. Alan Davidson has spent 60 years involved in cricket. Arthur Morris, Richie Benaud, Bob Simpson …

"Some extraordinary candidates. It will be fascinating."

Gilbert's personal choice would be The Waugh Stand.

"Steve and Mark Waugh played nearly 300 Test matches between them, they are born and bred New South Welshmen, performed great deeds on and off the ground and played for NSW over many years. That would be my selection," Gilbert said.

"With Steve and Mark you've got a great story. They are working-class boys who made it.

"South Australia has honoured the Chappells at the Adelaide Oval and I think the feats of the Waughs live up to that."

The stand will be named after a cricketer but the $63 million renovations at the ground will benefit AFL.

The field has been lengthened slightly to 152 metres, meaning the centre-square line will no longer intersect with the edge of the 50-metre arc. The new stand will increase the ground's capacity to 47,000. It will house 12,395 seats, of which 8700 will be under cover.