Australia to host ICC Super Series

Australia will host next year's first ICC Super Series, consisting of a Test match and a best-of-three one-day series between Australia and a Rest of the World team.

The ICC announced that the series, comprising one six-day Test (October 13-18) and three one-dayers (October 5, 7 and 9) is scheduled to be played in Sydney and Melbourne in October 2005, with total prizemoney expected to top US$1.7million. Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, said: "Cricket enjoys a tradition of national teams playing Rest of the World sides, and these matches have provided terrific cricket. Unfortunately, in recent years, the way the calendar has worked has made it very difficult to play these types of games and they have drifted off the schedule."

Australia, who are currently the top team in both Tests and one-dayers, are almost certain to head the respective points tables when the April 1 deadline to decide who will take on the rest of the world arrives.

Australia won the bid to host the ICC Super Series despite initial rumours that suggested that South Africa or India would host the event. James Sutherland, the chief executive of Cricket Australia, said: "This is the first ICC event to be held in Australia since the 1992 World Cup. The event gives Cricket Australia a wonderful opportunity to further demonstrate its ability to host a major international cricket event and we are determined to ensure that it is a huge success. It is rare for the world's best cricketers to perform together on the one stage and this should provide a brilliant spectacle for the fans who come along.

"Should the Australian team remain on top of the world rankings, I am sure all our players will relish the challenge of playing against the world's best."