LONDON, June 16: England & Wales Cricket Board have decided to give cricket's first 20- over international highest possible profile, scheduling it as England's opening skirmish with Australia in 2005 Ashes series.

In dates for next summer's internationals, June 13 has been marked down for this inaugural NatWest Twenty20 match. It should excite plenty of interest around the cricketing world. Neither side's players are likely to have had much experience of the format.

Australia have not taken up the idea at domestic level, while England's triangular one-day international series tends to clash with period when counties are fighting out Twenty20 Cup.

But England will at least have had a warm-up match, against Hampshire two days earlier, to get themselves acquainted with the game. Once this appetiser is out of the way, England will launch into more familiar one- day format in a three- way NatWest Series tournament with Australia and Bangladesh.

After five-Test Ashes series has been fought out, Australia's one-day players are expected to stay on for another three internationals (of orthodox 50-over kind) against England. That extension will take their tour up towards the three- month mark.

This year's Twenty20 Cup starts on July 2 with full schedule of nine matches. The competition enjoyed great success last summer, bringing in bigger crowds and a more youthful demographic to the county game. -PPI.