2017-18 Ashes schedule released, day-night Test confirmed

The problem with Brisbane is the wet season. November is better than December (this year), but still, the wet season is an issue. When you then consider the time difference for WA, and the desire to keep the MCG and SCG as "iconic" fixtures, Adelaide is about the only test that can definitely be at night without any major issues. But yes, you'd think it might lose it's appeal if it is always a night game. There are still those of us that like a good day drinking session to kick off at 9:00am...

By far the worst stadium to get to in the country. Don't blame it all on the fans. The typical sloth of the Queensland state government on display in spades in their approach to transport infrastructure. It will be full for the first few days.

I think one of the biggest demonstrations of that is how it's taken David Warner a while to work out the 50-over game, where he seemed to be able to switch between T20 and Test cricket without too much trouble, it took him a while to find that middle ground needed for the 50-over game. Of course, he's an opener, so there'a a big different with going out to bat with 50 overs to go than with 20 overs to go. For batsmen who tend to be more the lower-middle order hitters there's probably less difference in their roles. Effectively, they've just removed the middle overs. You basically have the opening overs and then go straight to the death overs. So BBL can give good indications about players abilities in those periods, but it's the 30 overs in the middle that there's no preparation for. But when it comes to just playing some cricket, I guess at least having the BBL prior to the ODI's is better than having nothing but Shield cricket since the Matador Cup.

T20 Internationals and Base Ball League is not preparation for 50 over Cricket. We've seen that with the differences in performances by the ODI team and the T20 side. Particularly with the bowlers having to bowl ten overs with the last few with an older ball.

Just as long as it's not on B f...king T

hahahaha ! of course the media are saying its all on track, because this is what the state government, ahead of a looming election in March, are telling them. Personally, I prefer to make evidence based judgements; on the one hand, we have had every major project undertaken by this state government (and its predecessor to be fair) come in over budget and late despite their assurances to the contrary.... whereas on the other hand, we have the state govt saying everything will be sweet this time round.

It's on time. On time meaning for the start of the 2018 AFL season as was always planned. I personally would love to see the first event be an ashes test but I cant see it being finished months early.

The pitch has been under construction in the middle of Gloucester Park for a while now: http://waca.com.au/other/id.php?ID=146 Depending on the people you meet here in WA that are working on the stadium, the issues are going to be with all the 'additional' fit-out such as security systems and hospitality areas with many third party providers over 6months behind on access to the stadium alone. But you won't read that in a government sanctioned media release. (happy to be very wrong though!)

In some ways I think having the Matador Cup all played in one go as a single tournament like that can work really well, but it does mean that none of the domestic players have played any one day cricket in ages when it comes to the ODI's that are after the test series. I guess they figure that for a lot of those players, T20 is as good a practice as 50-over cricket, so taking players with BBL form into the ODI's may be the idea. Probably aren't too many players who are ODI regulars but don't play much first class cricket who aren't also regulars in a BBL franchise.

It's going to be a drop-in pitch, which means that they likely already have the pitches being prepared in a greenhouse somewhere. Don't need to wait for the stadium to be completed to start on that, and then when cricket's done they just remove the pitches and put standard turf in it's place. I believe the plan was to use the same soil/clay used in the WACA for the drop in pitches to try and get similar pace and bounce and the like. I'd be interested as to whether it will still crack up in the same way the WACA pitch can. That's probably got a lot to do with the clay

I had seen some video's talking about Pink balls where there was a Duke one shown, but it was something from a few years back and a much more pale pink, not the really bright, luminescent colour of the Kookaburra currently in use. But I would think that if England were doing it they'd get Duke to produce something rather than just using the Kookaburra. I have a feeling the pink ball produced by Kookaburra may actually be a lot more like the standard Duke ball than the standard red Kookaburra anyway, a lot more about layers of lacquer compared to Kookaburra red balls which are more about stain and polish (pick up a Kookaburra regulation and it actually smells like leather as it's not covered in layers of lacquer like some of these other balls).

The stadium seems to be on track, and ahead of time from all accounts, but whether they can get a cricket pitch and outfield prepared by the test and then are able to convert it back to an AFL ground remains to be seen.

I like the idea of the Matador Cup at the back end of the season too, it could be played right through February. However there's a chance it would lose the little interest it has currently, and for next summer it appears they've worked to have it starting slightly earlier in late September to accommodate those three Shield rounds, which I think is quite sensible.

Agree I too think the schedule is the least complex and most practical Aus cricket has produced for some time. I don't mind the D/N Ashes test next season, although it now makes me wonder how much more daytime test match cricket we will see in Adelaide going forward. I'd like to see it shared around with Brisbane in the future so as to not completely close the door on day cricket in Adelaide.

That T20 tri-series looks like the first time I might actually be excited for a T20 series. We'll actually have time to settle our side rather than just rotating the top BBL performers and hoping someone takes their one-off opportunity.

Really like the fixture. Hopefully Perth Stadium is ready to go. Is the PM XI going to be a T20? seems pointless if it is an ODI warm up to have it after the ODI series. Like the idea of the Hobart game in Feb, fingers cross for good weather for the one game of the year there. The big bash will fit in nicely around and between the tests and one dayers.

Wonder if England will get some decent first class warm up matches.

Could be a potential to move the Matador Cup to the end of the season.

From what is reported in the media it's all on track. But the unions may pull a go slow 6 weeks out from completion

Wonder if England will schedule a few rounds prior to the Series? I see there will be 3 full Shield rounds before the 1st Test next year... not sure how that works with the Matador Cup in October... and the 1st Test starting on the 23rd. That's like 4 weeks of non-stop long form cricket without much turn around time (8 weeks if they play the Matador Cup).