Cricket Australia announces bumper summer for Australian sides

With Covid slowly diminishing, sports across the globe are finding normalcy. Cricket has been hit the most during the pandemic, mainly in Australia, with many restrictions around various states. However, Cricket Australia (CA) have announced its schedule for the 2022-23 season for both the men's and women's cricket teams, which is jam-packed.

Apart from the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in October, the Australian men's side will host West Indies, South Africa, England, Zimbabwe, and New Zealand, while the Women's team will host Pakistan.

Australia's Test summer will see them play a two-match series against West Indies and a three-match series against South Africa. Perth will host the first, while the second Test in Adelaide will be a day/night affair against the Windies.

The South African series will commence from the Gabba Test, continuing into the Boxing Day Test at the MCG and New Year's Test in Sydney.

Prior to red-ball cricket, One-Day Internationals (ODIs) are planned against visiting Zimbabwe and New Zealand teams, respectively, in a three-match series starting in August.

West Indies and England will face the T20 World Cup champions in a 2 and 3 match series just before the start of the World Cup in October.

The second leg of the England tour will resume with a three-ODI series after the world tournament.

Speaking about Australia's cricketing summer, CA CEO Nick Hockley said, "We are hosting a record six touring nations to Australia this season and the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. So it promises to be an incredible summer."

 "We are delighted that Test cricket is coming back to Perth Stadium for the first Test of the summer versus the West Indies, after almost three years without international cricket. We look forward to hosting South Africa over Boxing Day and New Year for the first time since 2008," he added.

"After two years of being impacted by the pandemic, the 2022-23 home summer will be an especially busy one for the Australian men's team as we honour our commitments to the ICC's Future Tours Program. This provides important opportunities to progress towards ICC World Test Championship Final qualification as well as build up for the ICC Men's One-Day World Cup in India in 2023," Hockley concluded.

The Australian Women's team will host Pakistan Women in a 3-WODI and as many WT20Is in January 2023.

Cricket Australia 2022-23 schedule:

Men:

ODI series v Zimbabwe at Riverway Stadium: August 28, 31, September 3

ODI series v New Zealand at Cazalys Stadium, (all D/N): September 6, 8, 11

T20I series v West Indies at Metricon Stadium: October 5, 7

T20I series v England: October 9 at The Gabba, 12, 14 at Manuka Oval

ICC Men's T20 World Cup: October 16-November 13

ODI Series v England: November 17 at Adelaide Oval, 19 at Sydney Cricket Ground, 22 at MCG.

Test series v West Indies: First Test November 30–December 4 at Perth Stadium, Second Test December 8-12 at Adelaide Oval.

Test series v South Africa: First Test December 17-21 at The Gabba, Second Test December 26-30 at The MCG, Third Test January 4-8 at The SCG.

ODI series v South Africa (dates TBC) January 12 at Blundstone Arena, 14 at SCG, 17 at Perth Stadium.

Women:

ODI series v Pakistan January 16, 18 both at The Gabba, 21 at SCG

Women's CommBank T20I Series v Pakistan

Tuesday, Jan 24: North Sydney Oval

Friday, Jan 27: Manuka Oval, Canberra

Sunday Jan 29: Manuka Oval, Canberra