Melbourne, Mar 27 (FN Bureau) Australia have released details of their schedule for their upcoming home summer, which includes the visit of Pakistan for six white-ball contests and the eagerly awaited Test series against India. The five-game Test series against Rohit Sharma’s side will commence in Perth on 22 November, with further Tests to be held in Adelaide (day-night), Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney right up until the start of the New Year. It will be 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 and will provide both teams with a good opportunity to further cement their place in next year’s ICC World Test Championship final. Australia claimed bragging rights when winning the most recent World Test Championship final at The Oval last year, but India have held the coveted Border-Gavaskar trophy since 2017 on the back of consecutive series triumphs away from home. Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley is looking forward to welcoming India to Australian shores later this year and is predicting a tight contest between the evenly matched sides.
“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.” The visit of Pakistan will commence Australia’s home summer, with the Asian side to play three ODIs and three T20Is at the start of November, before the action hots up even further with the Test series against India.India’s women’s side will be in Australia at the same time as their male counterparts, with three ODI matches planned to take place at the start of December as part of the women’s schedule also announced by Cricket Australia on Tuesday. Australia will take on 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 attention will then turn to the multi-format Women’s Ashes series against England, which consists of three ODIs, three T20Is and a historic day-night Test match at the MCG at the end of January.