LONDON, May 5: The England and Wales Cricket Board released the dates for Australia’s 2009 tour on Monday, including the five Ashes Tests, a seven-game one-day series and two Twenty20 Internationals.

The schedule includes Australia’s first One-day International at Hampshire’s Rose Bowl in Southampton and two Twenty20 Internationals at Old Trafford.

The first Test will be played at Cardiff’s Sophia Gardens, the first time the venue has hosted Test cricket, starting on Wednesday July 8 instead of the more usual Thursday start.

Further Tests are to be played at Lord’s, Edgbaston, Headingley and The Oval.

“The summer of 2009 promises to be one of the most exciting in the history of cricket in England and Wales,” David Collier, the ECB chief executive said.

In 2005 England won the Ashes for the first time in 18 years after a thrilling series but were whitewashed 5-0 in Australia in the 2006-07 series.

Fixtures for the Australian tour to England 2009:

May (TBC): Australia team arrives in Britain.

June 1-4: Warm-up period for World Twenty20 Championship.

June 5-21: World Twenty20 Championship.

June 24-27: v Sussex (Hove).

July 1-4: v England Lions (Worcester).

July 8-12: First Test (Cardiff).

July 16-20: Second Test (Lord’s).

July 24-26: v Northamptonshire* (Northampton).

July30- Aug 3: Third Test (Edgbaston).

Aug 7- 11: Fourth Test (Headingley).

Aug 15-16: v Kent** (Canterbury).

Aug 20-24: Fifth Test (The Oval).

Aug 28: One-day International v Scotland (Edinburgh).

Aug 30: First Twenty20 International (Old Trafford).

Sept 1: Second Twenty20 International (Old Trafford, D/N).

Sept 4: First One-day International (The Oval, D/N).

Sept 6: Second One-day International (Lord’s).

Sept 9: Third One-day International (Rose Bowl, D/N).

Sept 12: Fourth One-day International (Lord’s).

Sept 15: Fifth One-day International (Trent Bridge, D/N).

Sept 17: Sixth One-day International (Trent Bridge, D/N).

Sept 20: Seventh One-day International (Chester-le-Street).

Note:*match played against First Class Counties Select XI at Northampton if Northants in Friends Provident Trophy final played over this period. **match played against England Lions at Canterbury if Kent involved in Twenty20 Finals Day.—Reuters