India, Pakistan to visit as Australia announce schedule for home summer

Australia have unveiled their schedule for the upcoming home summer, featuring a visit from Pakistan for six white-ball matches and the much-anticipated Test series against India.

The five-match Test series against Rohit Sharma’s team will kick off in Perth on 22 November, followed by Tests in Adelaide (day-night), Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney, continuing until the start of the New Year.

Australia v India Test schedule:

First Test: November 22-26, Perth
Second Test: December 6-10, Adelaide (d/n)
Third Test: December 14-18, Brisbane
Fourth Test: December 26-30, Melbourne
Fifth Test: January 3-7, Sydney

This marks the first time since the summer of 1991/92 that Australia and India have played a five-match series as part of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. This provides both teams with a significant opportunity to strengthen their position in next year’s ICC World Test Championship final.

Australia claimed victory in the most recent World Test Championship final at The Oval last year, but India have held the prestigious Border-Gavaskar trophy since 2017 due to consecutive series wins away from home.

Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley is eagerly anticipating India’s visit to Australia later this year and predicts a close contest between the evenly matched teams.

“This is one of the most highly anticipated summers of cricket in memory with the eyes of the cricket world focused on the extended Border-Gavaskar Trophy series and the multi-format Women’s Ashes,” Hockley said.

“Fittingly, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been put on the same footing as The Ashes with a five Test Series for the first time since 1991-92 and we’re confident the schedule will maximise viewership and attendances and there will be a tremendous atmosphere in stadiums across the country.”

Pakistan’s visit will kick off Australia’s home summer, with the Asian side set to play three ODIs and three T20Is at the start of November, before the action intensifies with the Test series against India.

India’s women’s team will also be in Australia at the same time as their male counterparts, with three ODI matches scheduled for the start of December as part of the women’s schedule also announced by Cricket Australia on Tuesday.

Australia will face New Zealand in three ODIs in September following the Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, before three games against India in Brisbane and Perth from 5 December.

Australia’s focus will then shift to the multi-format Women’s Ashes series against England, which includes three ODIs, three T20Is and a historic day-night Test match at the MCG at the end of January.

Lisa Sthalekar, Clare Connor, Ian Bishop, and Mithali Raj join forces to discuss the current state of women’s cricket and its future direction.

Men’s

Australia v Pakistan white-ball schedule:

First ODI: November 4, Melbourne
Second ODI: November 8, Adelaide
Third ODI: November 10, Perth
First T20I: November 14, Brisbane
Second T20I: November 16, Sydney
Third T20I: November 18, Hobart

Women’s

Australia v New Zealand, T20I series

First T20I: September 19, Mackay
Second T20I: September 22, Mackay
Third T20I: September 24, Brisbane

Australia v India, ODI series

First ODI: December 5, Brisbane
Second ODI: December 8, Brisbane
Third ODI: December 11, Perth

Australia v England ODI series

First ODI: January 12, Sydney
Second ODI: January 14, Melbourne
Third ODI: January 17, Hobart

Australia v England T20I series

First T20I: January 20, Sydney
Second T20I: January 23, Canberra
Third T20I: January 25, Adelaide

Australia v England Test

Only Test: January 30-February 2, Melbourne (d/n)