The Ashes might be over, but Australia's cricketing schedule is about to get a whole lot busier.
The home series against New Zealand has been called off, and the away series is likely to follow, however, five T20s against Sri Lanka will be the entree for a long winter in the sub-continent.
Australia are first set to tour Pakistan for three Tests, three ODIs and a T20, before heading to Sri Lanka for a pair of Tests. That will be followed up with a one-off Test against Afghanistan in India, which will lead into a four-Test series against India away from home.
That series is due to finish just weeks before the T20 World Cup (to be hosted in Australia) kicks off the next home summer which will feature tours from the West Indies in the red-ball format, England in the white-ball format and South Africa for a multi-format tour.
The next 12 months, once the IPL is thrown in, feature wall-to-wall cricket for the Aussies and the selectors have acknowledged that, with a weakened squad likely to be picked for the Sri Lanka T20 series, according to a Sydney Morning Herald report.
It's understood David Warner will be the highest-profile player to be rested for the series, however, other reports suggest the likes of Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc won't be considered for the series as they rest following a hectic start to the chaotic calendar, which has featured victory at the T20 World Cup and the Ashes, which Australia won 4-0.
It's also being reported that tight security and COVID bubble arrangements will see most multi-format players opt out of the ODI series and T20 match in Pakistan, meaning more opportunities could be created for fringe white-ball players ahead of the next two major tournaments. In particular, the ODI World Cup in 2023 will be played in the sub-continent, making the ODI series against Pakistan exceptionally important.
