Women to feature in SCG double-header

Australia will stage a women's and men's Twenty20 international double-header again this season after successfully trialling the concept last summer. This year's version will feature a pair of Australia-New Zealand games at the SCG on February 15, the final day of the home international campaign for Ricky Ponting's men.

In February, the Australia and England women played a Twenty20 match at the MCG as a curtain-raiser for the men's Australia-India game, which attracted an enormous crowd of 84,041. This season's game will be the last international match for Australia's women before they defend their World Cup title in Sydney.

Richard McInnes, the Australia women's coach, said the SCG encounter would be the ideal preparation. "The match will give the team a valuable opportunity to play on a big stage in a high pressure environment ahead of the World Cup and World Twenty20 which will be played in June next year," McInnes said.

"After the reception they received at the MCG earlier this year, the players are excited at the prospect of playing in front of a large crowd in Sydney. However we have a lot of hard work to do before then, starting with a tough series against India, a team we expect will be one of the main dangers at the World Cup."

The Australia women begin their international season with a six-match series against India in Sydney and Canberra starting on October 28. Following the domestic season, the team heads to New Zealand for the Rose Bowl Series, before the Twenty20 international at the SCG.