Cricket's new-look summer

Australia's new-look international summer has been confirmed with New Zealand and South Africa to play both one-day and Test series against the world champions over a three-month period from November to February.

New Zealand will play two Tests in Brisbane and Adelaide in November and December, while South Africa will play a three-Test series starting in Perth before Christmas and taking in the traditional Melbourne and Sydney Test matches.

The international summer will start later than usual, on November 22, with Australia's four-Test tour of India not completed until November 9.

South Africa will play a five-match Commonwealth Bank one-day series in January, followed by the Chappell-Hadlee series against New Zealand, which will also be five matches under the Commonwealth Bank series banner.

Cricket Australia chief executive officer James Sutherland was confident the one-day matches would be well received by the public.

"The team only comes once or twice to each capital city and so the anticipation leading into each Commonwealth Bank Series match will be there and I'm sure ticket sales will reflect that," he said.

It will be the first time in nearly 30 years that the Australian summer won't play host to a triangular one-day series.

A third Twenty20 International has been added to the schedule with two played against South Africa in Melbourne (January 11) and Brisbane (January 13) and a third scheduled against New Zealand in Sydney (February 15).

"We've got it just about right at the moment," Sutherland said.

"We don't want to overdo Twenty20 cricket on the international scene but I think one of the things that comes with the revamped one-day competition is that it does offer us that little bit of extra flexibility."

The other slight modification to the schedule sees the Sydney Test against South Africa start on January 3 to allow players a recovery period between Test matches, while Adelaide will host its traditional Australia Day match, but unlike 2008, this will be a one-day match.

2008-09 International Program

Women's International Series
October/November - Australia v India, TBA

Tour Matches
Thursday 13–Sunday 16 November - New South Wales v New Zealand, Sydney
Saturday 6–Monday 8 December - Western Australia v South Africa, Perth
Saturday 20–Monday 22 December - Tasmania v South Africa, Hobart

3 mobile Test Series
Thursday 20–Monday 24 November - Australia v New Zealand, Brisbane
Friday 28 November–Tuesday 2 December - Australia v New Zealand, Adelaide
Friday 12–Tuesday 16 December - Australia v South Africa, Perth
Friday 26–Tuesday 30 December - Australia v South Africa, Melbourne
Saturday 3–Wednesday 7 January - Australia v South Africa, Sydney

KFC Twenty20 Internationals
Sunday 11 January - Australia v South Africa, Melbourne
Tuesday 13 January - Australia v South Africa, Brisbane
Sunday 15 February - Australia v New Zealand, Sydney

Commonwealth Bank Series
Friday 16 January - Australia v South Africa, Melbourne
Sunday 18 January - Australia v South Africa, Hobart
Friday 23 January - Australia v South Africa, Sydney
Monday 26 January - Australia v South Africa, Adelaide
Friday 30 January - Australia v South Africa, Perth
Sunday 1 February - Australia v New Zealand, Perth
Friday 6 February - Australia v New Zealand, Melbourne
Sunday 8 February - Australia v New Zealand, Sydney
Tuesday 10 February - Australia v New Zealand, Adelaide
Friday 13 February - Australia v New Zealand, Brisbane

Events
Tuesday 3 February - Allan Border Medal, Crown Palladium