No tri-series involving sub-continental rivals as international schedule released, MCG ends drought for women’s cricket

Plans for India and Pakistan to square off in Australia have been dashed. DANIEL CHERNY has all the finer details of a summer schedule headlined by Virat Kohli’s visit and a historic women’s Test.

A Cricket Australia proposal to pit India and Pakistan in a tri-series during their overlapping stints Down Under did not materialise, but CA remains keen for the fierce rivals to square off down the track on Australian shores.

India and Pakistan both feature in CA’s home international schedule for next season – released on Tuesday night-night – which also includes a return for women’s Test cricket to the MCG for the first time in 76 years.

As flagged for weeks, the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy series will commence in Perth in November 22 before a day-night second Test in Adelaide and a school holiday period third Test at the Gabba.

The Australian men’s cricket team will again play India at Perth Stadium as they did in 2018. Picture: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

While the Aussie men will be free for much of October to play in the Sheffield Shield, white-ball commitments on the future tours program mean Australia’s Twenty20 side faces Pakistan in Hobart on the night of Monday, November 18, less than four days before the Test men opening proceedings in a bid to end a run of four straight Test series defeats against India.

The Test series will be wrapped up by the end of the first week of January, freeing the Aussie men to play in the back half of the Big Bash League season.

Virat Kohli is set to return to Australia this summer. Picture: Michael Dodge/Getty Images

Given the rare coinciding visits of India and Pakistan, CA explored the prospect of hosting a one-off triangular series in which the South Asian nations would have faced each other as well as the home side.

India and Pakistan have not met in a bilateral series for more than a decade, these days competing only in ICC and Asian tournaments.

CA’s head of cricket operations and scheduling Peter Roach said the organisation would keep looking at potential openings to bring India and Pakistan together.

“We haven’t got a tri-series in the FTP. Going forward we’re always interested in opportunities for matches and contests that will engage our fans. It’s fair to say every country in the world would love to see India and Pakistan compete in their country,” Roach said.

“We’re on record as saying we’re one of those countries that has asked the question. There’s no room in the schedules to do that at the moment. We’ll keep talking to them in any other opportunities that arise, but in this specific example there are not going to be any changes to the schedule.”

Australia’s women’s home season begins in Mackay on September 19 in what is the first of three Twenty20 internationals against New Zealand that serve as preparation for the T20 World Cup.

The Aussie women also face India at home in three ODIs in December, with the season culminating in the multi-format Ashes series, capped off by a day-night Test at the MCG, the first women’s Test at the iconic venue since 1948-49.

However unlike the women’s Ashes Test in England last June, this match will be a four-day clash rather than a five-day affair.

“We’re continually thinking of the ways we can improve Test cricket, but we’re really strongly of the view that the four days is the right format,” Roach said.

“There’ll be some players that are supportive of that, and there’ll be some players that have a different view, and we understand that.”

The first men’s one-dayer against Pakistan will be a day-nighter at the MCG on Melbourne Cup eve (November 4).

Originally published as No tri-series involving sub-continental rivals as international schedule released, MCG ends drought for women’s cricket