Australian PM’s XI match on October 23

Melbourne, July 31: Cricket Australia (CA) on Friday confirmed that the annual Prime Minister’s XI match will take place on October 23 at Manuka Oval against New Zealand.

The match will be New Zealand’s first official match on Australian shores before the first Commonwealth Bank Test match in Brisbane beginning on November 5.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said in a statement: “I’m delighted that the Prime Minister’s XI will open the upcoming summer of intertiol cricket. “I look forward to welcoming the New Zealand team to Canberra to add another chapter to the strong friendship between our two countries.”

CA CEO James Sutherland said: “The Prime Minister’s XI fixture has always been an important annual event on the Australian cricket calendar and we’re pleased this year that it will open our intertiol season.

The Prime Ministers XI team will be selected by Cricket Australia’s tiol selection panel with input from the Prime Minister, and will be announced closer to the match. CA also announced that general tickets for the match will go on sale to the general public on August 21 through Ticketek. IANS