Schedule For The Summer Game

Only three Tests against South Africa

The international Test playing calendar lays before us until the end of August next year. It has its usual strange twists, some delectable contests and some easier ICC points for the stronger nations.

There are nine Test series to be decided, starting and finishing with Australia. Michael Clarke's men have become a mixture of the young, the old and the reinvented and they'll play a home summer against South Africa and Sri Lanka before having four months of hit and giggle ahead of a tour to England for a series which has already ended careers. The portents are that Ricky Ponting hopes to end his there but the water flowing under the bridge will want to be as sweet as it was last summer against a disjointed India.

South Africa have every chance of defending their number one spot, starting a nine Test summer with only three in Australia. It is the series which shapes as the best of the next twelve months, the Ashes included and yet again, the two best southern hemisphere sides have only three scheduled. Not only does the potentially top of the table deciding series avoid playing at Australia's two biggest and most traditional grounds - Melbourne and Sydney - but Australia's batsmen will try to combat the best pace attack in the world on two of its fastest wickets. If Test cricket is to remain a "test" and not a break between short form glitz and glamour, then its best combatants must place five Test series. To have not done so with this series is not fulfilling the stated aim of Cricket Australia to place Test cricket at the centre of its plans.

After leaving Australia, Graeme Smith's men have easier tasks against New Zealand and Pakistan, although the Pakistanis may well keep them honest.

England, led now by the new Captain Cook, go to the sub continent, where they play the usual grab bag of cricket forms which their hosts see value mixing. Starting with four Tests against the Indians, T20's and ODI's will follow in a long winter orientation program for Alastair Cook. He looks to be ready. India has been barren ground for England for nearly thirty years, lasting winning a series there in 1984-85 when Mike Gatting, Tim Robinson and Graeme Fowler dominated and led England home despite Azharrudin making three hundreds for the home side. It was the series where Norman Cowans dominated Gavaskar ... bizarre. India haven't lost a home seies for eight years and will be stiff opposition.

Back home, England will warm up for the main task against the Aussies by flogging a rudder-less New Zealand, who still search for a leader and the minions to follow him. New Zealand cricket has never looked so threadbare.

Sri Lanka will host New Zealand in November for the only series which does not contain one of the top three.

Don't drop it

It will be the Ashes series that will attract the most attention. Australia has completely reformed its administration since the last thrashing at the hands of England, making changes to its Board, its key personnel on and off the field and a new selection panel which has taken some risks but thanks to Michael Clarke, has pulled results. They will go to England with big question marks over Ponting and Michael Hussey, with only Hussey having performed consistently in the Old Dart. They will have a youthful attack which will worry England  but it is the batting which will likely be the weak link. Australia's greatest asset is its leader. Clarke has proven most wrong and has been emphatic with the bat since taking over the captaincy from Ponting, averaging ten more with the bat (56 compared to 46) and scoring five hundreds in 12 Tests, including the epic and selfless 329 in Sydney last summer. It is against Clarke England will spring its attack in order to retain the Ashes.

It may not be that easy.