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Twenty20 International cricket to make its regional Australian debut

Xinhua, August 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

The city of Geelong in the Australian state of Victoria is set to host Australia's first regional Twenty20 International when Australia clashes with Sri Lanka in February.

Cricket Australia confirmed the 2017 T20 International fixture on Monday, with the first match to be played in Melbourne on Feb. 17, while Geelong's Simonds Stadium will host the second match of the series two days later on Feb. 19. Adelaide will host the final T20 match on Feb. 22.

Cricket Australia Chief Executive Officer James Sutherland said Geelong had not only successfully hosted domestic cricket, but high-profile international football events as well as regular Australian Football League (AFL) action.

He said expanding the game to regional Australia was the next step in growing the game across Australia.

"We're committed to taking the game to as many parts of the country as possible and we continue to work with regional areas around Australia on how we can make this happen," Sutherland said in a statement on Monday.

"Geelong proved its capability to host cricket last summer with a successful BBL exhibition match between the Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades attracting more than 10,000 people.

"We're really looking forward to the people of the Geelong region and beyond packing out the stadium and supporting the women's and men's national sides."

Cricket Australia's announcement comes just a week after Spanish football giants Atletico Madrid clashed with local powerhouse Melbourne Victory in Geelong as part of their International Champions Cup (ICC) tour.

Geelong is a regional city of around 200,000 people an hour and a half drive south-west of major city Melbourne. Endit