Australia's international fixtures for 2022-23 revealed

Without including the men's T20 World Cup being staged here later this year, Australia's 2022-23 international summer will feature more matches and a greater number of bilateral opponents than any previous season.

The men's and women's schedules released today by Cricket Australia includes 28 Test and limited-overs internationals against Zimbabwe, New Zealand, West Indies, England, South Africa and Pakistan stretching from late August to the end of January.

For priority access and pre-sale information join the Australian Cricket Family

Among the talking points of fixtures scheduled either side of the ICC T20 tournament played from 17 October-14 November are:

● Return of international cricket to Perth for first time since 2019, with the city's new stadium to host the men's Vodafone Test summer opener against West Indies

● South Africa's three-Test campaign to begin in Brisbane and include appearances at the MCG and SCG, the first time the Proteas have featured in Boxing Day-New Year Tests since 2008-09

● Commonwealth Bank ODIs and T20 Internationals against rising Pakistan outfit amid a hectic touring schedule for Australia's all-conquering women's team

● Restoration of international cricket in the Top End with Dettol ODI Series against Zimbabwe and New Zealand at Townsville and Cairns respectively

● Reduction in number of T20Is Australia men's team play immediately prior to T20 World Cup, with proposed three-match series against West Indies at Gold Coast cut to two

● Appearance of reigning ODI World Cup holders England for a three-match campaign (as well as three T20Is) under new coach – and former Australia women's supremo – Matthew Mott

The schedule does not include details such as warm-up games for West Indies and South Africa prior to their respective Test commitments, with those fixtures to be confirmed in coming weeks.

In addition to the packed home schedule, the national men’s team will make a flying visit to India in September for three T20 internationals while the women’s team also travels to India during December for a series of five T20Is against their opponent from the most recent T20 World Cup final.

And work continues on finalisation of the domestic playing schedule which will include tournament dates for the Weber WBBL and KFC BBL competitions.

However, the yet-to-be-confirmed programming of three men's ODIs between Australia and South Africa in mid-January, immediately after the completion of the Test series between the teams, means some men's multi-format players will once again be largely unavailable for their BBL clubs.

UPDATE: South Africa withdraw from ODIs to free Test stars for BBL

Although it is tipped the relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions coupled with the return of more regular airline schedules should ensure smaller squads are required for international series, and therefore more players can be released back to domestic teams throughout the summer.

The absence of an additional day-night Test, or a Test scheduled for Perth (with its inherent time zone difference) during the likely BBL window also means there won't be a repeat of last summer's scheduling where the T20 tournament went into brief hiatus to avoid broadcast conflict.

In acknowledging its desire to have the game's biggest names appear more often in the domestic T20 competition, CA admits it is somewhat hamstrung this summer with the expiration next year of the ICC’s current men's Future Tours Program (FTP) dictating all outstanding playing commitments must be met.

That includes the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe that was initially to have been played in mid-2020 (according to the FTP) and was then rescheduled to last year, with the global pandemic putting paid to both those attempts.

As a result, the games have been scheduled for August 28-September 3 at Townsville's Riverway Stadium which hosted ex-Test player Andrew Symonds' memorial service last Friday.

The three-game Dettol ODI Series against New Zealand that immediately follows at Cazalys Stadium in Cairns is similarly a rescheduling of matches postponed amid COVID-19 travel restrictions last January.

With the ICC's new FTP expected to be released later this year, and placing increased pressure on nations to schedule international matches, it is expected Australia's Top End venues (including Darwin) will more regularly host top-level games in the future.

The men's ODIs against South Africa are a long-standing component of the current FTP and form part of the ICC's one-day Super League points table but remain unconfirmed after an eleventh-hour request from Cricket South Africa to reconsider the dates.

The last of those matches sees Perth Stadium potentially book-end the men's international schedule, with the city that missed out on top-level cricket for two summers due to Western Australia's strict border closures also assuming Brisbane's traditional role as host of the season's first Test.

In opting to overlook the men's team dominance at the Gabba – they have lost just once at the venue (to India in 2019) in 33 years – as well as the players' documented preference to start each Test summer in Brisbane, CA has cited several mitigating factors.

Among them is the potential broadcast benefit of the season's first two Tests (at Perth and a day-night fixture at Adelaide Oval) being beamed into households on Australia's east coast during prime time, which would not be the case with a daytime Test at the Gabba.

CA is also conscious of the pending unavailability of the Gabba in coming summers as the venue undergoes a full redevelopment for the 2032 Olympics, and sees an opportunity to trial an alternative Test match order to help manage that contingency.

And while acknowledging this year's Test schedule is a one-off and does not represent a precedent, Pat Cummins' team will note their winning record in Perth – including the WACA, which hosted Tests until 2018 – is similarly strong with only 11 losses from their 46 matches in WA since 1970-71.

The last three of those defeats all came against the Proteas, who have won just three of their 12 Tests at the MCG, once from 12 appearances at the SCG and never from four starts at the Gabba.

The most striking features of the schedule for Meg Lanning's dominant women's outfit is their lack of international cricket at home until mid-January, and the fact they are not drawn to play a Test during the 2022-23 season.

The women’s playing matrix is operating under a new FTP that includes Commonwealth Games, more ICC world events and a wish to provide clearer windows for marquee domestic events such as the WBBL and The Hundred.

In addition, the schedule reflects the reality Pakistan's women's team have played just three Test matches – one each against Sri Lanka, West Indies and Ireland – since joining the international cricket scene in 1997.

Given their involvement in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in late July-early August and the decision of many Australia players to remain in the UK for The Hundred T20 tournament that follows, today's schedule shows a notable absence of women's international fixtures at the start of the Australia summer.

It is understood that is partly to help ensure the recent winners of the ICC ODI World Cup are comparatively refreshed and ready for their T20 World Cup defence, which begins in South Africa next February.

In addition, while dates for the Weber WBBL are yet to be finalised, it is anticipated the lack of international commitments at summer's start will enable many of the nation's top women's players to take part in early rounds of the WNCL which has been expanded to a full home-and-away season.

Furthermore, the volume of cricket scheduled for the men's T20 World Cup and its preceding qualifying competition would have meant any women's international fixtures staged during September-October faced tough competition for eyeballs and available venues.

As it stands, resources to host top-level international and domestic cricket across such a packed summer will be stretched to the maximum although Hobart once again earns a solitary international fixture – the men's ODI between Australia and South Africa on January 12.

It is not yet clear how many Australia men's players will take part in UK's The Hundred (which runs from August 4-September 4) and, therefore, if that will mean potential conflict in selection of squads for the Dettol ODI campaign against Zimbabwe.

A number of limited-overs regulars including Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson have secured playing deals at The Hundred, but CA has previously maintained a view that international representation takes precedence.

Under the existing FTP, Australia's men's team was scheduled to play four Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is in India later this year, but the need to radically rejig the T20 World Cup roster – with Australia's hosting of the 2020 event pushed back to this year due to COVID-19 – means those Tests will now be staged next February and March.

They form part of the ICC's World Test Championship competition, the current cycle of which also ends next year.

The other notable no-show from the existing FTP matrix are Australia's scheduled men's fixtures against Afghanistan, with the historic first Test between the nations cancelled last year due to the Taliban takeover which cast doubt over the country's commitment to women's cricket.

Under ICC protocols, nations must field teams in men's and women's competitions to maintain full-member status.

CA will consider future fixtures against Afghanistan at an appropriate time in the future.

2022-23 Australian home international schedule
(all times local)

Men's Dettol ODI Series v Zimbabwe

Sunday Aug 28: Riverway Stadium, Townsville, 9:40am

Wednesday Aug 31: Riverway Stadium, Townsville, 9:40am

Saturday Sep 3: Riverway Stadium, Townsville, 9:40am

Men's Dettol ODI Series v New Zealand

Tuesday, Sep 6: Cazaly Stadium, Cairns, 2:20pm

Thursday, Sep 8: Cazaly Stadium, Cairns, 2:20pm

Sunday Sep 11: Cazaly Stadium, Cairns, 2:20pm

Men's Dettol T20I Series v West Indies

Wednesday Oct 5: Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast, 6:10pm

Friday Oct 7: The Gabba, Brisbane, 6:10pm

Men's Dettol T20I Series v England

Sunday Oct 9: Perth Stadium, TBC

Wednesday Oct 12: Manuka Oval, Canberra 6:40pm

Friday Oct 14: Manuka Oval, Canberra 6:40pm

ICC Men's T20 World Cup

Oct 16-21: Group stage

Oct 22-Nov 6: Super 12 stage

Wed-Thurs Nov 9-10: Semi-finals, SCG & Adelaide Oval

Sunday Nov 13: final, MCG, 7pm

Men's Dettol ODI Series v England

Thursday Nov 17: Adelaide Oval, 1:50pm

Saturday Nov 19: SCG, 2:20pm

Tuesday Nov 22: MCG, 2:20pm

Men's Vodafone Test Series v West Indies

Nov 30 – Dec 4: First Test, Perth Stadium, 10:20am

Dec 8-12: Second Test, Adelaide Oval, 2:30pm

Men's Vodafone Test Series v South Africa

Dec 17-21: First Test, the Gabba, 10:20am

Dec 26-30: Second Test, MCG, 10:30am

Jan 4-8: Third Test, SCG, 10:30am

 

Women's CommBank ODI Series v Pakistan

Monday Jan 16: Allan Border Field, Brisbane 10:05am

Wednesday Jan 18: Allan Border Field, Brisbane 10:05am

Saturday Jan 21: North Sydney Oval, 10:05am

Women's CommBank T20I Series v Pakistan

Tuesday Jan 24: North Sydney Oval, 1:45pm

Thursday Jan 26: Blundstone Arena, Hobart, 7:05pm

Sunday Jan 29: Manuka Oval, Canberra, 1:45pm