13/09/2009 10:46 PM
Australia will play Pakistan in a two-Test series in England next year, the ECB announced on Friday night.
Lord's and Headingley will host the two Tests to be played next July.
But Cricket Australia and the Pakistan Cricket Board are yet to agree on specific details.
The games were originally scheduled to be played in Pakistan in March 2008 but postponed due to political unrest following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in December 2007.
"We've been thinking for quite a while we are going to be back here next year," Australia captain Ricky Ponting said at Lord's ahead of Saturday's fourth one-day international against England.
"This is one of the great places in the world to play Test cricket."
"To get another opportunity to play a Test at Lord's is going to be great for me and some of the other younger guys around our side as well. We are looking forward to coming back here."
Ponting said the series would be especially significant for Pakistan, which has not hosted an international game since Sri Lanka's cricket team was attacked in Lahore in March.
"I'm sure they'd rather be playing here than not playing at all. That's exactly the way we feel about it as well," Ponting said.
"Pakistan at the moment is obviously a fairly difficult place to tour for a number of reasons and I think for the betterment of the game around the world, to be able to play Pakistan in neutral venues is something that's going to be great for the game."
Australia and Pakistan will also play two Twenty20 internationals at Edgbaston.
It will be a busy winter schedule in England for Australia, which is also slated to play five one-day internationals against the Old Enemy.
Those games will be held in Cardiff, Old Trafford, Lord's, the Rose Bowl and The Oval.
The next Ashes series will be held in Australia in the summer of 2010-11.