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Cricket Australia has announced its 2019-20 international schedule, which will finish with a trans-Tasman ODI series in mid-March.
Cricket Australia (CA) will host a trans-Tasman ODI series in mid-March next year, having extended the international season beyond summer after failing to change dates of a tour of India.
New Zealand will face Tim Paine's Australia side in a Perth day-night Test beginning on December 12 plus the summer's showpiece MCG and SCG Tests, before they return for a three-match ODI series in Sydney and Hobart that starts on March 13.
The Gabba has reclaimed its spot as the traditional Test opener, with Australia's two-match series against Pakistan to start on November 21 before a day-night clash at Adelaide Oval that begins on November 29.
The 2015 World Cup final was held at the MCG on March 29 but the international season is generally over by the end of summer.
Not since 1979 has Australia hosted a men's international match - outside of a major tournament - so late in the season.
CA hoped to schedule the trans-Tasman ODI series in January but Aaron Finch's team will instead travel to the subcontinent during that month, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) refusing to budge on dates.
"We evaluated different options for an alternative and saw the most value in the March opportunity," CA's head of cricket operations Peter Roach said.
"Cricket Australia took the position that while January was our preference for these ODI matches, there are times we need to honour our commitments to work in the greater context of international cricket scheduling.
"Scheduling international cricket is challenging in that nine of the 10 major cricketing countries have seasons similar to ours, so working with them to find space in the calendar to fulfil our obligations to the ICC Future Tours Program is a juggling act."
The women's T20 World Cup final is at the MCG on March 8, with CA keen to ensure there is no overlap between that event and the men's ODI series.
Meg Lanning's team will warm up for the World Cup with limited-overs matches against Sri Lanka at North Sydney Oval and Brisbane's Allan Border Field, starting on September 29.
Australia will also host a women's T20 tri-series involving India and England (January 31-February 12) in Melbourne and Canberra before turning their attention to the World Cup.
The national men's team will take on Sri Lanka in a three-match T20 series, starting at Adelaide Oval on October 27, then play another three-match T20 series against Pakistan that begins at the SCG on November 3.
