The schedule for the Ashes Test series to be staged down under in 2010/11 has been revealed by the ECB and Cricket Australia.

Consisting of the now traditional five Test matches, the series will start at the Gabba in Brisbane on November 25th before heading to Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne and ending at the SCG in Sydney with the New Year Test.

The match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2010 will also continue a tradition in beginning on Boxing Day and finishing on December 30th.

England, who will go down under as the holders of the famous urn after this summer’s 2-1 series win, are set to warm up by playing three first-class matches prior to the first Test and a further first-class game between the second and third Test matches.

ECB chief executive David Collier described the recent Ashes series in England as "the sporting highlight of the summer", adding that the 2010/11 series "promises to be a great contest".

"I am sure many thousands of England cricket fans will be eager to purchase tickets when they go on sale and get behind the team in Australia," he added.

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said he was looking forward to another thrilling contest between world cricket’s biggest rivals.

"Australian cricket fans always love an Ashes series and demand for tickets is going to be strong, so it is important to put the dates in diaries now," he said.

"We also expect to have a lot of UK fans here again.

"I know we have only just finished an Ashes series in England but I also know that the Aussie players – and Australian cricket in general – are already thinking about the Ashes series down under which starts in just over 12 months.

"Australia has a very good Ashes record at home and I’m hopeful that will continue next summer and we can bring the Waterford Crystal urn back to Australia."

The schedule for the one-day series is yet to be announced, although fans are keen to see a return to the format used in the 2005 and 2006/07 Ashes tours when the less prestigious one-day matches took place before the Tests.

However, it seems from the dates announced the limited-overs games will again follow the five-day matches in the same format as this year’s series in England.

Full list of dates for 2010/11 Ashes series in Australia:1st Test
November 25th – 29th 2010 (Brisbane)

2nd Test
December 3rd – 7th 2010 (Adelaide)

3rd Test
December 16th – 20th 2010 (Perth)

4th Test
December 26th – 30th 2010 (Melbourne)

5th Test
January 3rd – 7th 2011 (Sydney)

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