SA Footy

Australia's dominant women's team taking the solo spotlight at the start of the summer before the men's Test team breaks more than a century of tradition by staging their entire program during the school holiday break are features of the 2023-24 Australian international schedule.

The men's and women's international fixtures released by Cricket Australia today feature six Tests (against Pakistan, West Indies and South Africa), as well as nine ODIs and nine T20Is (South Africa and West Indies) at 11 venues across seven cities.

Among the noteworthy elements within those four and a half months are:

- First home matches of the new World Test Championship cycle for Australia men's team, with Tests against Pakistan (three) and West Indies (two) all staged within the December-January school holidays

- The inaugural Test between Australia and South Africa's women's teams, with the historic encounter to be held at the WACA Ground in Perth which last hosted a women's Test in 2014Perth to also stage the opening match of the men's summer when Pakistan make their first Test appearance in the Western Australian capital since 2004, and their maiden five-day outing at Perth Stadium

- Reigning ODI and T20 Women's World Cup champions Australia to feature in a multi-format series against South Africa having defeated the Proteas in the 20-over Cup final at Cape Town earlier this year.

Immediately after the ICC World Cup, Australia's men's team will remain in India for a bilateral white-ball series before returning home to begin their NRMA Insurance Test campaign (against Pakistan in Perth) from December 14, ensuring a different look to the Test schedule.

It will be the latest start to a men's Test summer of five or more matches since the 1924-25 Ashes battle that kicked off at the SCG on December 19, 1924.

Due to a quirk of the ICC's latest Future Tours Program – the recently released matrix that dictates each team's home and away opponents across all formats for the next four years – Australia host the West Indies men's team for the second time in as many summers.

With Pakistan scheduled to tour during the December-January period, and given the delayed start to the men's Test summer due to proximity of the 50-over World Cup in India, Cricket Australia's conundrum was which venue of Perth and Adelaide hosted the West Indies twice in succession for Tests.

Given the disappointing attendance for last year's Australia-West Indies Test at Perth Stadium and CA's hopes to grow the market in Western Australia, it opted to stage the first Pakistan Test in WA with Adelaide's mid-January fixture reverting to day status rather than its recent tradition of day-night.

The summer's only pink-ball Test match will be the second match between Australia and West Indies at the Gabba where the Caribbean visitors last played in 2009.

With a bulk of men's Tests being played at the height of summer in January, CA opted for a day-night fixture in Brisbane to avoid the heat and humidity of earlier in the day.

The men's Test scheduling also means those players who specialise in white-ball formats will be available for much of the KFC BBL season, which confirmed a reduction in total matches for BBL|13 on Friday.

Another key factor in formulating the men's schedule was the West Indies' requirement to depart Australia by mid-February to meet their FTP commitments with Pakistan.

As a consequence, the three Dettol ODIs and three Dettol T20Is between Australia and West Indies have been scheduled for Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Hobart, Adelaide and Perth from February 2-13 to round out the summer's international schedule.

Australia's men's team then travel to New Zealand for a series of two Tests and three T20Is, as per the FTP.

The domestic men's and women's schedules for 2023-24 are expected to be released in the coming weeks.

whufc wrote:I hate the first test not being until mid December.

Summer doesn't really start until the test cricket is on.

The Dark Knight wrote:

whufc wrote:I hate the first test not being until mid December.

Summer doesn't really start until the test cricket is on.

It's mainly because of the 50 over World Cup which is rumoured to start (in India) on October 5th and finish on the 19th of November.

whufc wrote:

The Dark Knight wrote:

whufc wrote:I hate the first test not being until mid December.

Summer doesn't really start until the test cricket is on.

It's mainly because of the 50 over World Cup which is rumoured to start (in India) on October 5th and finish on the 19th of November.

Yeah obviously there is reasons for it.

Just going to be weird playing the entire first half of club cricket and not having any test cricket to talk about on Saturdays

First world problems.

PatowalongaPirate wrote:

whufc wrote:

The Dark Knight wrote:

whufc wrote:I hate the first test not being until mid December.

Summer doesn't really start until the test cricket is on.

It's mainly because of the 50 over World Cup which is rumoured to start (in India) on October 5th and finish on the 19th of November.

Yeah obviously there is reasons for it.

Just going to be weird playing the entire first half of club cricket and not having any test cricket to talk about on Saturdays

First world problems.

Not a D/N Test in Adelaide against WI either?

PatowalongaPirate wrote:My prediction for the weather in Adelaide 17th-21st January 2024 is a 38C average over the 5 days lol.

DoublebluTiger wrote:The West Indies tour of Australia in early 2024 is surely headed for a major financial loss. With one dayers set for MCG and SCG the Windies would need a major reversal of form in the current one day and T20 home series against India and the upcoming home one day and T20 series against England for there to be any shred of interest in their tour to Australia, regardless of where they play. Has me thinking of renewing the Australia A format!

PatowalongaPirate wrote:My prediction for the weather in Adelaide 17th-21st January 2024 is a 38C average over the 5 days lol.

Rik E Boy wrote:Two test tours of New Zealand. **** off. They are a decent side these days. Surely the Kiwi fans would turn up to watch them on their on decks to play Australia in tests. **** teeball.

regards,

REB