Australian Test selection on the line in Prime Minister's XI clash

The match was played as a four-day game for the first time last season against the West Indies and its success has seen the format retained for another year.

There has been one minor tweak, with the fixture a red-ball day game, rather than a pink ball under lights.

The Prime Minister's XI will play Pakistan at Manuka Oval in a match commencing on Wednesday December 6, just eight days out from Australia's first Test.

The confirmation of the fixture comes as Cricket Australia unveiled the Women's Big Bash schedule on Thursday morning, with the tournament to bypass Canberra due to the resurfacing of Manuka Oval. The ACT Meteors Women's National Cricket League matches have also been locked in, the side to play six matches at Phillip.

The scheduling of the Prime Minister's XI match will provide players with a chance to stake their claim for a place in the first Test.

MORE CANBERRA SPORT:

Peter Handscomb, Marcus Harris and Ashton Agar featured in the fixture last year, while Todd Murphy used the clash as a launching pad to a Test debut in India and now a crucial role in the Ashes.

Cricket Australia head of scheduling and operations Peter Roach labelled the match a lead in to the Test series.

"This game serves a lot of interests," Roach said. "One it provides meaningful preparation for our players and most importantly preparation for our touring team, whoever it may be. This year it's Pakistan's only warm up game before the three-Test series.

"Like last year, we can assume the team will be made up of players either just on the outskirts of the Test team, just in the Test team and potentially development players that may be there in the future.

"If players perform in this game, you know for all intents and purposes they are ready when the [Test] opportunity arises. We don't have a great number of Australia A-like opportunities across the year so when they are scheduled, they're highly valued by players and selectors."

While the scheduling of a four-day match was seen by some as a risk, Cricket ACT officials considered last year's match a success.

The game was well attended and Canberra fans had the chance to witness a competitive, high-quality cricket match that ended in a draw.

Cricket ACT chief executive Olivia Thornton said the match is an opportunity to showcase Manuka Oval to a wider audience.

"Having the Prime Minister's XI game on the calendar is important," Thornton said. "We know how special the game is for the community. We had good feedback last year on the four-day format and we look forward to welcoming Pakistan.

"We saw last year the match provided an opportunity for Australian players on the cusp of selection to put their name forward. Todd Murphy is a classic example of a quality player who's not necessarily a common name but it provided a chance to get a taste of playing international teams."

The use of Manuka Oval for the four-day fixture brings into focus the ground's ability to host high-quality red ball cricket.

Cricket ACT officials have long called for more Test matches to be played at the ground and point to the venue's track record as proof Canberra fans deserve the chance to watch the sport's most prestigious format.

The door, however, is closed in the immediate term as the national governing body prioritises the big cities and big venues. The move has left the ACT and Tasmania on the outside looking in and the next opportunity for the smaller regions is when the Gabba is redeveloped prior to the 2032 Olympics.

Roach defended the decision to overlook Manuka this summer amid a complex scheduling process.

"First and foremost, we know that Manuka's an outstanding cricket ground," Roach said. "We take the view that every opportunity our venues and curators have to prepare a first-class wicket is an opportunity to improve and evolve so that when they get the opportunity to host Test cricket, they're well prepared.

"The beauty of Australia is we've got seven outstanding venues that are capable of hosting Test cricket and we work through that process on a year-by-year basis."

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.