Cricket Australia insists Optus Stadium can replace the Gabba as the men’s Test team’s new fortress after handing Perth the first match against India.

Officials announced their schedule for this summer on Tuesday, with the WA capital to kick off the five-Test India series on November 22.

Perth is then expected to hold that status as the season opener in the majority of coming summers, a position long held by the Gabba.

Australia are undefeated in 31 summer-opening Tests at the Gabba since 1989, their only two defeats at the ground coming when it has closed out the summer.

But CA operations boss Peter Roach said the hard and fast Optus Stadium pitch, where Australia has won all four Tests played there, was now more than comparable to the one traditionally used at the Gabba.

“The clear advice from our national team is there is a preference to start series strongly at venues where they’re really comfortable,” Roach said.

“Perth and Brisbane they believe are somewhat comparable in terms of the advantage they get, in that they’re the hardest and bounciest pitches in Australia.

“They also believe that playing a day-night (Test) in Adelaide is a significant advantage, and the stats there are pretty conclusive too. 

“With Perth and the Gabba, I think the gap has really closed in recent times in the way our players think about that.”

Adelaide will host the second Border-Gavaskar Test from December 6, with the venue winning back the day-night Test after Australia were beaten with the pink ball at the Gabba last season.

Brisbane then follows on December 14, before the traditional MCG and SCG Tests for Boxing Day and New Year’s.

Test players are expected to get a month of Sheffield Shield cricket in October, before three ODIs and T20s against Pakistan, starting with a day-night game at the MCG on November 4.

CA had offered an invitation to make the white-ball matches part of a triangular-series with India, but that was knocked back.

“It’s fair to say that every country in the world would love to see India and Pakistan compete in their country,” Roach said. 

“We’re one of those countries that have asked the question, but there’s no room in the schedules to do that at the moment. 

“We’ll keep talking to them for any other opportunities that arise, but in this specific example there is not going to be any change to this schedule.”

The total of six white-ball games means Canberra has missed out on a men’s international.

Manuka Oval will instead host one of the T20s in the women’s Ashes series, with CA making the call to play the Test in the series at the MCG from January 30.

The move to bigger grounds has also come into effect for white-ball games, with the women’s T20s against England to be played at the SCG and Adelaide Oval.

The women’s team will also open the summer, with three T20s against New Zealand in Queensland in September before the World Cup in Bangladesh.

Australia 2024-25 schedule

MEN: ODI vs Pakistan

Nov 4: MCG, Melbourne (D/N)  
Nov 8: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide (D/N)  
Nov 10: Optus Stadium, Perth (D/N) 

T20s vs Pakistan
Nov 14: The Gabba, Brisbane (N) 
Nov 16: SCG, Sydney (N) 
Nov 18: Bellerive Oval, Hobart (N) 

Tests vs India

Nov 22-26: Optus Stadium, Perth  
Dec 6-10: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide (D/N) 
Dec 14-18: The Gabba, Brisbane 
Dec 26-30: MCG, Melbourne  
Jan 3-7: SCG, Sydney 

WOMEN: T20s vs New Zealand
Sept 19: Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay (N) 
Sept 22:  Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay (N)  
Sept 24: Allan Border Field, Brisbane (N)  

ODIs vs India
Dec 5: Allan Border Field, Brisbane (D/N) 
Dec 8: Allan Border Field, Brisbane (D) 
Dec 11: WACA Ground, Perth (D/N)

ASHES vs England
ODIs
Jan 12: North Sydney Oval, Sydney (D) 
Jan 14: Junction Oval, Melbourne (D) 
Jan 17: Bellerive Oval, Hobart (D) 

T20s
Jan 20: SCG, Sydney (N)
Jan 23: Manuka Oval, Canberra (N) 
Jan 25: Adelaide Oval, Adelaide (N)

TEST
Jan 30-Feb 2: MCG, Melbourne (D/N)