LONDON: England will host world number one test side India in a five-match test series for only the second time since 1959, the national cricket board said on Tuesday as it confirmed the 2018 schedule which also includes series against Pakistan, Australia and Scotland.

England will play seven tests, nine one-day internationals and four T20Is in 2018 and begin their season on May 24 against Pakistan, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said.

England and Pakistan, who drew 2-2 in the four-test series last year, face off in tests at Lord's and Headingley.

Next up for England is a trip to Edinburgh for an ODI on June 10 where Eoin Morgan's men face Scotland.

Arch-rivals Australia visit England for five ODIs and a solitary Twenty20 between June 13 and 27 before the India series begins with three T20s and three ODIs in July.

The attention then shifts to the five-match test series against Virat Kohli's men with the first test beginning at Edgbaston on Aug. 1.

England's 2018 home schedule:

Pakistan: Two tests at Lord's and Headingley

Australia: Five ODIs at The Oval, Cardiff, Trent Bridge, Chester-le-street and Old Trafford; one T20 at Edgbaston.

India: Three T20s at Old Trafford, Cardiff and Bristol; three ODIs at Trent Bridge, Lord’s and Headingley; five tests at Edgbaston, Lord’s, Trent Bridge, The Rose Bowl and The Oval.