New Zealand beat Australia in the 2006 Commonwealth Games final

England, who are ranked fourth in the world, will play the Silver Ferns in Manchester on 13 May and Australia in London on 17 May.

New Zealand and Australia will meet each other on 15 May in Birmingham and both will also play fixtures against an England A team.

The games will help England prepare for the World Championships in November.

They were originally scheduled to take place in Fiji but a military coup there has resulted in the tournament being shifted to New Zealand.

England's performance director Nigel Holl believes the May Tests will be a useful barometer of how his team have progressed since claiming bronze at the Commonwealth Games last year.

"This series will give us a clear indication of who much more work needs to be done," said Holl.

"By involving an England A team in the series, we will also be offering our emerging players exposure to the very highest levels of competition."

606 DEBATE: How will England fare?

MATCH SCHEDULE

13 May 2007
England v New Zealand
Australia v England A
(Manchester Evening News Arena, Manchester)

15 May 2007
New Zealand v Australia
(National Indoor Arena, Birmingham)

17 May 2007
England v Australia
New Zealand v England A
(Earls Court Arena, London)