Melbourne, March 22 Cricket Australia on Sunday unveiled its 2026-27 international calendar, featuring a packed schedule that leaves little time between events, particularly in anticipation of the high-profile Border-Gavaskar Trophy series in India, expected to begin in mid- or late-January.
The five-Test series against India next year is set to be a crucial phase for Pat Cummins' ageing team, which will be playing in an unprecedented and demanding schedule.
Australia are slated to play 10 Tests in a 14-week window between December and March, making it one of the most demanding periods in their history.
The home season will begin in August 2026, with two Tests against Bangladesh and conclude in March 2027 with a day-night Test against England at the MCG – the 150th anniversary Test.
The home series against New Zealand will be played in a window of just over four weeks, while Australia's tour of South Africa later this year will run until the end of October, followed by an eight-match white-ball series against England in November.
"That Border-Gavaskar Trophy tour, a final challenge for players like Cummins, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon, who have never won a series in India, will also be a quick-paced campaign, given that CA's anniversary Test begins back in Melbourne on March 11," CA said in a statement.
"The decision to hold back Starc, Cummins, and Hazlewood from at least the initial rounds of the upcoming IPL shows that CA is cautious about getting their star players to the finish line of the intense 2026-27 season," it added.
Australia's Test schedule:
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August: Two Tests vs Bangladesh (home)
October: Three Tests vs South Africa (away)
December-January: Four Tests vs New Zealand (home)
January-March: Five Tests vs India (away)
March 11-15: 150th anniversary Test vs England (home)
June: WTC final (if qualified, England)
June-August: Five Tests vs England (away)