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SYDNEY, May 19: Australia will host New Zealand, Pakistan and West Indies in a hectic schedule of Test and One-day matches during the 2004-05 southern hemisphere summer. Captain Ricky Ponting's team will play New Zealand in two Tests in November before facing Pakistan in a three-Test series in December and January.
Australia will also contest a three-match, one-day series with the Kiwis in December before tackling Pakistan and West Indies in a triangular limited-overs competition in January and February.
"Australian cricket followers have a zealous appetite for cricket action and we're particularly pleased to be bringing three international touring sides to Australia as part of the one summer," Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said in a statement on Wednesday.
West Indies were originally pencilled in to play Australia in three Tests but the series was put back a season because of a clash of schedules, paving the way for New Zealand to tour instead.
Cricket Australia said the switch allowed an alteration to its normal summer programme to include the launch of a new annual one-day contest with New Zealand honouring the Chappell and Hadlee families.
Walter Hadlee captained New Zealand in their first ever Test against Australia in 1945 while Ian and Greg Chappell and Richard and Dayle Hadlee played in the first one-dayer between the two nations in 1974.
Sutherland said New Zealand would host Australia in three matches next year before the annual contest rotated between the two countries.
Schedule
New Zealand in Australia:
Nov 11-14: v New South Wales (Sydney).
Nov 18-22: First Test (Brisbane).
Nov 26-30: Second Test (Adelaide).
Dec 5: First One-day International (Melbourne, D/N).
Dec 8: Second One-day International (Sydney, D/N).
Dec 10: Third One-day International (Brisbane, D/N).
Pakistan in Australia:
Dec 7: v Chairman's XI (Lilac Hill, Perth).
Dec 9-12: v Western Australia (Perth).
Dec 16-20: First Test (Perth).
Dec 26-30: Second Test (Melbourne).
Jan 2-6: Third Test (Sydney).
One-day series (Australia, Pakistan, West Indies):
Jan 14: Australia v West Indies (Melbourne, D/N).
Jan 16: Australia v Pakistan (Hobart).
Jan 19: Pakistan v West Indies (Brisbane).
Jan 21: Australia v West Indies (Brisbane, D/N).
Jan 23: Australia v Pakistan (Sydney, D/N).
Jan 26: Australia v West Indies (Adelaide, D/N).
Jan 28: Pakistan v West Indies (Adelaide).
Jan 30: Australia v Pakistan (Perth, D/N).
Feb 1: Pakistan v West Indies (Perth).
Feb 4: First final (Melbourne, D/N).
Feb 6: Second final (Sydney, D/N).
Feb 8: Third final (if required, Adelaide,vD/N).
Other fixtures:
Jan 5: Victoria v West Indies (Melbourne, D/N).
Jan 8: Australia 'A' v West Indies (Hobart).
Jan 9: Australia 'A' v West Indies (Hobart).
Jan 12: Australia 'A' v Pakistan (Adelaide).
Jan 25: Prime Minister's XI v Pakistan (Canberra). -Reuters
