Twenty20 cricket requires batsmen to wait in a pitch-side dugout

The two governing bodies have agreed in principal to stage a one-off 20-over game during Australia's tour, which will also include five Test matches.

The Twenty20 Cup was a massive success in its inaugural season in 2003, attracting over 250,000 fans to county grounds.

That success has been mirrored in South Africa, where the Pro20 Series was launched earlier this year.

In games lasting just two-and-a-half hours, each team faces 20 overs, bowlers have to jog to the end of their run-ups and batsmen wait in a pitch side dugout for their turn at the crease.

New Zealand is the only other country to have experimented with a shorter format at the top level, playing three Cricket Max internationals over the last eight years.

The International Cricket Council has so far been reluctant to embrace the concept, but this match is subject only to an agreement between England and Australia.

The tourists are unlikely to suffer a disadvantage despite not having played Twenty20 at domestic level.

Four Aussies - Mike Hussey, Ian Harvey, Brad Hodge and Michael di Venuto - were among the six leading run-scorers in the competition's group stages last year.

Skipper Ricky Ponting, who is joining Somerset, and Shane Warne, who captains Hampshire, are likely to get their first taste of the new brand this season.