Australian 2020/21 international cricket schedule

Posted Friday 29 May 2020 at 9:42am, updated Saturday 30 May 2020 at 2:27pm

Cricket Australia has revealed its schedule for the summer of cricket, but admitted there was no guarantee the final list would look the same as the sport responds to the coronavirus pandemic.

Key points:

• The summer schedule for Australia's men's and women's cricket teams has been released
• The men's side will play Tests against India and Afghanistan, along with short-format series against West Indies, Zimbabwe, NZ and India
• The women's team's summer will include an ODI series against India, who they beat in this year's Women's World Cup final

Cricket Australia (CA) on Thursday night confirmed dates for the marquee India tour, with Brisbane locked in to host the first Test on December 3 before a day-night clash in Adelaide and the traditional Boxing Day and New Year's fixtures in Melbourne and Sydney.

Perth will receive the consolation prize of hosting the one-off inaugural Test against Afghanistan on November 21.

The schedule begins with a men's ODI series against Zimbabwe in August, and ends with men's ODI and T20I series against New Zealand in January and early February.

The Australian women's team has no Tests scheduled, but will face New Zealand in T20I and ODI series in September-October, and finish their summer with an ODI series against India, in a rematch of this year's Women's World Cup final.

In a statement, Cricket Australia chief executive, Kevin Roberts referenced the difficulty for sport in navigating a global pandemic, but said he was encouraged by the progress being made in combatting the coronavirus.

"We know that circumstances or events beyond our control could mean that the final schedule potentially may look different to the one released today, but we'll be doing everything we can to get as much international cricket in as possible this summer," Roberts said.

"We will communicate any changes to the schedule if or when they are required.

• "We are engaged in ongoing discussions with federal and state governments, our venues and the touring nations to continually understand and monitor the situation in front of us, which is evolving every day.

"We'll continue to act in accordance with public health advice and government protocols to ensure the safety of the public, players and support staff."

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The issue of crowds has been a hot topic for discussion across all sports as authorities respond to the pandemic.

"Cricket plays an important role in society, and we know our fans are excited at the prospect of seeing their heroes in action again this summer after what has been a challenging year for everyone," Roberts said.

"We will continue to assess whether it is possible for them to attend matches in person, however if it is not deemed possible, we already have a solid blueprint in place.

"Australian cricket will survive and thrive after the coronavirus pandemic dissipates, just as we have after world wars, depressions, recessions and the many other challenges that have confronted us over the past 140-plus years."

Australian 2020/21 international cricket schedule

Men's ODI Series v Zimbabwe

•   Australia v Zimbabwe — venue TBA (August 9)
• Australia v Zimbabwe — venue TBA (August 12)
• Australia v Zimbabwe — Townsville (August 15)  

Women's T20I Series v New Zealand

• Australia v New Zealand — North Sydney, (September 27)
• Australia v New Zealand — North Sydney, (September 29)
• Australia v New Zealand — North Sydney, (October 1)

Women's ODI Series v New Zealand

• Australia v New Zealand — Townsville (October 5)
• Australia v New Zealand — Cairns (October 7)
• Australia v New Zealand — Carrara (October 10)

Men's T20I Series v West Indies 

• Australia v West Indies — Townsville (October 4)
• Australia v West Indies — Cairns (October 6)
• Australia v West Indies — Carrara (October 9)

Men's T20I Series v India 

•  Australia v India —The Gabba (October 11)
• Australia v India — Canberra (October 14)
• Australia v India — Adelaide Oval (October 17)

Men's Test Series v Afghanistan

• Australia v Afghanistan — Perth Stadium (November 21-25)

Men's Test Series v India

• Australia v India — The Gabba (December 3- 7)
• Australia v India — Adelaide Oval (December 11 - 15)
• Boxing Day Test, Australia v India — MCG (December 26 - 30)
• Pink Test, Australia v India — SCG (January 3 - 7)

Women's ODI Series v India

• Australia v India — Canberra (January 22)
• Australia v India — Junction Oval, St Kilda (January 25)
• Australia v India — Hobart (January 28)

 Men's ODI Series v India  

• Australia v India — Perth Stadium (January 12)
• Australia v India — MCG (January 15)
• Australia v India — SCG (January 17)

Men's ODI and T20I Series v New Zealand 

• Australia v New Zealand ODI — Adelaide Oval (January 26)
• Australia v New Zealand ODI — Canberra (January 29)
• Australia v New Zealand ODI — Hobart (January 31)
• Australia v New Zealand T20 — SCG (February 2)

* CA says schedule may change