England lock in 2010-11 Ashes schedule

England's 2010-11 Ashes defence in Australia will follow a traditional path, with the five-Test series starting in Brisbane and ending in Sydney. Australia, who lost the urn in August, can start planning their way back after the schedule was released, but the visitors have made a change already by asking for three first-class games before the first Test in Brisbane from November 25-29 next year.

The second Test will be in Adelaide (December 3-7) followed by another tour match before the third rubber in Perth (December 16-20). During England's 5-0 defeat in 2006-07 there were only a couple of low-key warm-up games for the tourists and the schedule was blamed for their awful start. Melbourne's Boxing Day Test is a fixture and the series will wrap up in Sydney, starting on January 3, 2011.

"The recent Ashes series was the sporting highlight of the summer and has really whetted the appetite of all cricket supporters as England seek to retain the Ashes next winter," the ECB chief executive David Collier said. "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." The release dates have not been announced.

"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," James Sutherland, Cricket Australia's chief executive, said. "We also expect to have a lot of UK fans here again." A full schedule, including one-day and Twenty20 matches, is unlikely to be announced until next year.

2010-11 Ashes series
1st Test, November 25-29, Brisbane
2nd Test, December 3-7, Adelaide
3rd Test, December 16-20, Perth
4th Test, December 26-30, Melbourne
5th Test, January 3-7, Sydney