The Ashes urn. AFP

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England and Australia have agreed on dates for next year's Ashes series in England.

With Australia set to defend, dates have been confirmed for the Ashes Test series, the one-day series and the two Twenty20 matches.

The tourists will open their warm-up matches with a four-day game against Sussex at Hove on 24 June before they face a four-day match against England Lions at Worcestershire's New Road ground starting on 1 July.

Both matches are played before the first Test match at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff which starts on 8 July.

Sandwiched in between the second and third Test matches there is a three-day game provisionally scheduled against Northamptonshire, but that depends on how the county does in Friends Provident Trophy, for 24 July.

A two-day match against Kent at Canterbury is pencilled in for 15 August between the fourth and final Test matches although this could be against England Lions if Kent are involved in Twenty20 finals day.

Australia's one-day programme will start with an international against Scotland in Edinburgh on 28 August.

ECB chief executive David Collier said: "The summer of 2009 promises to be one of the most exciting in the history of cricket in England and Wales.

"The npower Ashes Series and the NatWest Series along with the NatWest International Twenty20 matches have the potential for providing the sort of wonderful cricket which can fire the nation's imagination.

Fixtures for the Australian tour to England 2009

June

Wed 24 - Sat 27: Four-day game vs Sussex (Hove)

July

Wed 1 - Sat 4: Four-day game vs England Lions (Worcester)

Wed 8 - Sun 12: 1st Test (Cardiff)

Thu 16 - Mon 20: 2nd Test (Lord's)

Fri 24 - Sun 26: Three-day game vs Northants (Northampton)

Thu 30 - Mon 3 Aug: 3rd Test (Edgbaston)

August

Fri 7 - Tue 11: 4th Test (Headingley)

Sat 15 - Sun 16: Two-day game vs Kent (Canterbury)

Thu 20 - Mon 24: 5th Test (Oval)

Fri 28: ODI vs Scotland (Edinburgh)

Sun 30: 1st International Twenty20 (Old Trafford)

September

Tue 1: 2nd International Twenty20 (Old Trafford, floodlit)

Fri 4: 1st ODI (Brit Oval)

Sun 6: 2nd ODI (Lord's)

Wed 9: 3rd ODI (Rose Bowl)

Sat 12: 4th ODI (Lord's)

Tue 15: 5th ODI (Trent Bridge)

Thu 17: 6th ODI (Trent Bridge)

Sun 20: 7th ODI (Durham)

Mon 21: Australia depart

AFP