Daily Times

The Pakistan cricket team is set to visit Australia for a white-ball series scheduled for November this year as Cricket Australia (CA) on Tuesday released its international schedule for the 2024-25 season.

In a press release, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said that the tour – which will mark the start of Australia’s white-ball schedule for the summer of 2024-25 – would comprise six games in total.

It said that three one-day internationals (ODIs) and as many T20Is will be played across six venues from November 4 to 18.

“Pakistan will be returning to Australia after a gap of almost one year, after having competed in the Benaud-Qadir Trophy which comprised three Test matches played across Perth, Sydney and Melbourne in December 2023-January 2024,” the PCB said.

The cricket board further said that the ODI series would begin on November 4 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground before moving to Adelaide and Perth on November 8 and 10, respectively. Pakistan last played an ODI series on Australian soil back in 2016, which saw the home side come out on top, the PCB said. Subsequently, Pakistan and Australia will face each face-off in the three T20Is. Pakistan’s last T20I outing on Australian soil was back in 2022, wherein the men in green appeared in the final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

“The series will start at The Gabba in Brisbane. Action will then move to the Sydney Cricket Ground; Pakistan’s last T20I at the venue saw them beat New Zealand at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup semi-final. Hobart will be the last stop on the tour, where the final T20I will be played on November 18,” the PCB said.

Meanwhile, CA also announced that Perth will host the first match of a blockbuster five-Test series against India from November 22. The series will then move to Adelaide for a day-night Test and then Brisbane’s Gabba, which traditionally was the opening venue of Australia’s Test summer.

The Melbourne Cricket Ground will stage the Boxing Day Test and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series will wrap up at Sydney Cricket Ground starting on January 3. CA chief executive Nick Hockley called it “one of the most highly anticipated summers of cricket in memory”.

“Fittingly, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been put on the same footing as the (men’s) Ashes with a five-Test series for the first time since 1991-92,” he said.

Australia have not beaten India in a home series since 2014-2015.

The hosts have, however, won all four previous Tests at Perth Stadium.

“We’re confident the schedule will maximise viewership and attendance and there will be a tremendous atmosphere in stadiums across the country,” said Hockley.