Pakistan, Sri Lanka dates released by ECB

Pakistan will tour England for the first time since the spot-fixing scandal of 2010, with next summer's schedule for four Tests, five ODIs and a T20 confirmed by the ECB. Sri Lanka are England's other opponents and will arrive in early May, a time of the year that regularly leads to a clash with the IPL.

Both touring sides will play ODIs in Ireland ahead of limited-overs series with England - a development that goes towards Cricket Ireland's attempts to secure more regular fixtures against Full Member opposition.

England's Test series against Pakistan will be squeezed into little more than a month, with two sets of back-to-back Test matches separated by an eight-day gap - during which Pakistan will play a tour match against Worcestershire. They have also been given three-day warm-up matches at Taunton and Hove before the first Test at Lord's begins on July 14.

The Test will Pakistan's first at Lord's since the events of 2010 that led to Mohammad Amir, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif being banned for a scheme to bowl deliberate no-balls. Amir could yet be part of the touring squad, having recently begun to play domestic cricket again in Pakistan. The bans on all three will expire next week.

Sri Lanka also have two tour matches scheduled, against Essex and Leicestershire, before beginning the three-Test series with back-to-back matches at Headingley - scene of their series-clinching victory in 2014 - and Chester-le-Street. A Lord's Test in the relative warmth of June follows, then two ODIs in Ireland, five ODIs against England and a single T20.

Trent Bridge will not host a Test for the first time since 2009, while Bristol will hope to see the return of international cricket after five years, having suffered a washout during the visit of India in 2014.

May 4: Sri Lanka arrive
May 8-10: Essex, Chelmsford
May 13-15: Leicestershire, Grace Road
May 19-23: 1st Investec Test, Headingley
May 27-31: 2nd Test, Chester-le-Street
June 9-13: 3rd Test, Lord's
June 16: 1st ODI v Ireland, TBC
June 18: 2nd ODI v Ireland, TBC
June 21: 1st Royal London ODI, Trent Bridge
June 24: 2nd ODI, Edgbaston
June 26: 3rd ODI, Bristol
June 29: 4th ODI, Kia Oval
July 2: 5th ODI, Cardiff
July 5: NatWest T20, Ageas Bowl

June 29: Pakistan arrive
July 3-5: Somerset, Taunton
July 8-10: Sussex, Hove
July 14-18: 1st Investec Test, Lord's
July 22-26: 2nd Test, Old Trafford
July 29-30: Worcestershire, Worcester
Aug 3-7: 3rd Test, Edgbaston
Aug 11-15: 4th Test, Kia Oval
Aug 18: 1st ODI v Ireland, TBC
Aug 20: 2nd ODI v Ireland, TBC
Aug 24: 1st Royal London ODI, Ageas Bowl
Aug 27: 2nd ODI, Lord's
Aug 30: 3rd ODI, Trent Bridge
Sep 1: 4th ODI, Headingley
Sep 4: 5th ODI, Cardiff
Sep 7: NatWest T20, Old Trafford