CA announces 2019-20 summer schedule

Australia's international summer of men's cricket will extend into late March for the first time in 41 years when they host New Zealand in a three-match Chappell-Hadlee ODI series next year.

Cricket Australia today unveiled the 2019-20 home international fixtures that feature visits by the Black Caps, Pakistan and Sri Lankan men's teams, while Australia's women's team host India, England and Sri Lanka.

A total of 28 international matches across 10 venues shape a summer that will also include the women's T20 World Cup.

The Gabba returns as host of the opening Test of the summer when Pakistan visit from November 21 for a two-Test series, with points in the forthcoming ICC Test Championship up for grabs for the first time on Australian soil.

Australia's record at the Brisbane venue currently sits at 30 Tests unbeaten since 1988, the longest active streak in world cricket.

There will then be back-to-back day-night Tests against Pakistan in Adelaide (from November 29) and then New Zealand in Perth (from December 12) before the traditional MCG and SCG Tests over the holiday period.

It will be the first Boxing Day Test against the Black Caps since 1987 – a 32-year gap – and just the fourth time they've ever played a Test at the venue.

Image Id: CD0755F62D874CF299522A33D4CEA6B1 Image Caption: Sir Richard Hadlee in the 1987 Boxing Day Test // Getty

Cricket Australia will honour its commitment to tour India for three ODIs in mid-January, which had caused a reshuffle of the home international schedule and pushed back the Chappell-Hadlee series.

The Black Caps – who wrap up their Test series in Sydney with the New Year's Test between January 3 and 7 – will return across the Tasman for three ODIs on March 13, 15, and 20 where both teams will wear retro kits chosen by fan polls. Australia will wear a version of the 1999 World Cup-winning kit. 

The opening two of those matches will both be played at the SCG – the first a day-night match on a Friday, and then a day game on Sunday.

The series shifts will shift to Blundstone Arena for the third and final match, with Hobart's only taste of international cricket will also be the season's closing game.

CA's Head of Cricket Operations Peter Roach said: "Scheduling international cricket is challenging in that nine of the ten major cricketing countries have seasons similar to ours, so working with them to find space in the calendar to fulfil our obligations to the ICC Future Tours Program (FTP) is a juggling act.

"The long-range FTP had three separate limited-overs series scheduled between India, New Zealand and Australia. When the countries started working through the detail, it was clear that there was not enough space for each series at the proposed times.

"CA took the position that while January was our preference for these ODI matches, there are times we need to honor our commitments to work in the greater context of international cricket scheduling.

"We evaluated different options for an alternative and saw the most value in the March opportunity to extend our window in the traditional cricket season."

There will be a 63-day break between the men's home international fixtures, with Australia's ODI team expected to be in India for about 10 days in late January.

India celebrate their Republic Day on January 26, meaning there will be no men's international cricket on Australia Day 2020, with the KFC BBL likely to take centre stage.

Australia are also scheduled to visit South Africa and Bangladesh for limited overs fixtures in February according to the FTP, a period when they are often on the road.

Image Id: 98AD32BC60544A63B0C6C01440CF64A4 Image Caption: The Black Caps currently hold the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy // Getty

Outside of hosting the World Cup in 1992 and 2015, Australia has never before had bilateral ODI cricket so late in the season, and not since Australia hosted Pakistan for a Test at the WACA Ground starting March 24, 1979 has any format of men's international cricket been played this late in the season.

Before that, you have to go all the way back to the Adelaide Ashes Test of 1892 to find international cricket played this deep into March on Australian soil.

The day-night Perth Test will start at 1pm local time – 4pm AEDT – with play scheduled to close at 8pm local or 11pm in NSW and Victoria.

Unlike other day-night Tests, Perth is scheduled to have the longer 40-minute lunch break at the first interval. The Adelaide pink-ball Test will continue to have the 20-minute tea break between the first and second sessions with the longer break later in the evening.

Image Id: E78D2F4FC70A4003AEE36C4F45D99899 Image Caption: Perth Stadium will host its first day-night Test // Getty

Domestic fixtures including the next BBL season that will include a revamped finals series, the JLT Sheffield Shield and what is expected to be a restructured domestic one-day competition, will be released at a later date.

Australia's world No.1 ranked women's team open the international season with three T20s against Sri Lanka starting on September 29, avoiding a clash with the finals of the football codes, before focus quickly switches to three ODIs against the Sri Lankans.

Following the WBBL, the women will then play a T20 tri-series against England and India with games split between Manuka Oval in Canberra and Melbourne's Junctional Oval from January 31 to February 12.

The tri-series will give the side the best possible preparation to defend their T20 World Cup crown when the tournament begins in Sydney on February 21, with the final at the MCG on March 8, a date that coincides with International Women's Day.

The men's international summer also opens with T20s when the Aussies play back-to-back three-game series against Sri Lanka and then Pakistan – currently the world's No.1 T20 side, starting October 27 at the Adelaide Oval.

Tickets for all international matches will go on sale from May 23 via cricket.com.au/tickets. Tickets for the T20 World Cup are on sale now here.

Full 2019-20 International Fixtures

All start times are subject to change, and listed in local time

Women's CommBank T20s v Sri Lanka

September 29: North Sydney Oval, 2.30pm

September 30: North Sydney Oval, 7pm

October 2: North Sydney Oval, 2pm

Women's CommBank ODIs v Sri Lanka

October 5: Allan Border Field, 10am

October 7: Allan Border Field, 10am

October 9: Allan Border Field, 10am

Men's Gillette T20s v Sri Lanka

October 27: Adelaide Oval, 2pm

October 30: Gabba, 6.10pm

November 1: MCG, 7.10pm

Men's Gillette T20s v Pakistan

November 3: SCG, 2.30pm

November 5: Manuka Oval, 7.10pm

November 8: Perth Stadium, 4.30pm

Men's Domain Test Series v Pakistan

November 21-25: Gabba, 10am

November 29-December 3: Adelaide Oval, 2pm (D/N)

Men's Domain Test Series v New Zealand

December 12-16: Perth Stadium, 1pm (D/N)

December 26-30: MCG, 10.30am

January 3-7: SCG, 10.30am

Women's CommBank T20 tri-series

January 31: India v England, Manuka Oval, 2.10pm

February 1: Australia v England, Manuka Oval, 2.10pm

February 2: Australia v India, Manuka Oval, 2.10pm

February 7: India v England, Junction Oval, 2.10pm

February 8: Australia v India, Junction Oval, 2.10pm

February 9: Australia v England, Junction Oval, 2.10pm

February 12: Tri-series Final, Junction Oval, 1.40pm

Men's Gillette ODIs v New Zealand

March 13: SCG, 2.30pm (D/N)

March 15: SCG, 10.30am

March 20: Blundstone Arena, 2.30pm (D/N)