ACB program for season 2002-03 released
The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) released today the international program for the 2002-03 Australian season.
The 2002-03 program will see:
The decision to stage the third Final of the VB Series in Adelaide was approved by ACB Directors at their recent meeting in Melbourne, while the need for the Australian team to depart for South Africa on 29 January for the 2003 International Cricket Council Cricket World Cup prompted a move away from the traditional "blocked" program.
ACB Chief Executive James Sutherland said the changes to the program would ensure that Australian cricket followers enjoy a full international schedule despite the unavoidable early finish to the season.
"With the cooperation of the players, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Board of Control of Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL), cricket followers around Australia will still enjoy a full summer of cricket, despite the compressed time-frame," said Mr Sutherland.
"While a blocked format remains our preferred schedule, it simply wasn't possible to program the season in this way next summer."
During the summer's VB Series, Australia plays England in Hobart. The 11 January 2003 match will help celebrate the opening of the redeveloped Bellerive Oval and commemorate the bicentenary of European settlement in Tasmania.
In a break from tradition, Adelaide stands to stage an additional game if the VB Series goes to a third Final, with the last game of the summer scheduled for the Adelaide Oval.
The Australia A schedule has been expanded to four limited-overs matches against the visiting teams and a three-day game against England in order to give the next tier of Australian players more international experience.
The international season begins on 22 October 2002, with the traditional ACB Chairman's XI game in Perth. The First Test between Australia and England starts in Brisbane on 7 November 2002. England also plays the Prime Minister's XI on 10 December 2002 and a Bradman XI at Bowral, New South Wales, on 8 January 2003.
Sri Lanka joins England and Australia for the 2002-03 VB Series, arriving in Australia on 11 December 2002 to play a tour match against Australia A in Brisbane on 15 December 2002. Sri Lanka's VB Series campaign starts two days later against England at The Gabba.
© 2001 Australian Cricket Board
| Teams | Australia, England, Sri Lanka. |
| Players/Umpires | James Sutherland. |
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