Australia Unveil Marathon Cricket Summer Around T20 World Cup Defence

Cricket Australia unveiled a bumper home fixture list on Monday with eight bilateral men's series against five different opponents either side of their defence of the T20 World Cup.

The marathon five-month schedule starting in August will thrust the Australian men's team into at least 27 games in front of home supporters rising to 29 if they reach the T20 World Cup final in Melbourne on November 13.

Australia's recently-crowned women's 50-over world champions have a lighter programme, staging twin limited-overs series against Pakistan in late January.

International cricket will return to Perth for the first time since 2019, with the city's new stadium to host the first of two Tests against the West Indies from November 30 with the second a day-night match in Adelaide.

Three Tests against South Africa will follow, starting in Brisbane on December 17 with the Proteas playing the Boxing Day and new year Tests in Melbourne and Sydney for the first time in 13 years.

South Africa's tour is to conclude with three one-day internationals, but the January dates remain unconfirmed after an "eleventh-hour" request from Cricket SA to have them reconsidered.

The unseasonably early start in August is to accommodate two previously postponed one-day international series against Zimbabwe and New Zealand.

The Zimbabwe series, twice delayed by Covid-19, sees all three games at Riverway Stadium in Townsville in Queensland from August 28.

New Zealand will play their three matches at an unfamiliar North Queensland venue, Cazalys Stadium in Cairns, 18 years after it was last used for international cricket.

Twenty20 series against the West Indies and England will precede the T20 World Cup which will finally start on October 16 after a delay of