Australia to host Pakistan for three T20Is, two Tests this year

Australia will host Pakistan for three T20 internationals and two Test matches including a day night encounter later this year.

Pakistan will play T20Is at Sydney, Canberra and Perth before the first Test will be played at the Gabba. The second match of the series will be a day-night encounter, played at the Adelaide Oval.

Australia then play a day-night Test match with New Zealand at the Perth stadium following a Boxing Day Test match at the MCG and finally SCG.

The games will be the first on Australian soil that count towards the inaugural ICC Test Championship, where points are awarded to the nine countries taking part.

Ordinarily, one-day internationals are played at home in January, but Australia will instead be in India to fulfil an obligation under the Future Tours Program.

Cricket Australia wanted to find an alternative date for the series, but India reportedly refused to budge, meaning three one-dayers against New Zealand will instead start in March, extending the season to its latest finish in 41 years.

The last time the season ended so late was in 1979 when Australia hosted Pakistan for a Test in Perth.

"Scheduling international cricket is challenging in that nine of the 10 major cricketing countries have seasons similar to ours," said Cricket Australia's head of operations Peter Roach.

"So working with them to find space in the calendar to fulfil our obligations to the ICC Future Tours Program is a juggling act.

"Cricket Australia took the position that while January was our preference for these ODI matches, there are times we need to honour our commitments to work in the greater context of international cricket scheduling."

The southern-hemisphere summer action opens on October 27 with the first of three T20s against Sri Lanka before three more T20s against Pakistan.

Australia's women host Sri Lanka in a T20 and one-day series, before a tri-series against England and India ahead of the T20 World Cup on home soil in February.

Australia vs Pakistan

Australia vs Sri Lanka

Australia vs New Zealand