England will play India in a five-match home Test series next summer, the first time the countries have played each other in a series of such a length in England since 1959.

There will also be five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 international between the sides while England will also play two Tests, five ODIs and one T20 against Sri Lanka.

"The length of the series reflects the iconic status which contests between these two great cricketing nations now enjoy," said David Collier, the England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive.

"We Trent Bridge, Lord's, the Ageas Bowl, Emirates Old Trafford and the Kia Oval will host the Tests in July and August. They will be preceded by Tests against Sri Lanka at Lord's and Headingley in June.

England, then ranked No.1 in the world, beat India 4-0 in a home Test series in 2011 and followed up with a 2-1 success over them in Asia last winter.

Zimbabwe's Test series against Pakistan is set to go ahead after a potential player strike over late payments was averted. The home team had formed a players' union and reportedly aborted their training session last Friday after discovering their salaries had not been paid in full by Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC). Today's series opener in Harare will go ahead, however, with captain Brendan Taylor taking "the word of ZC that they will pay before the second Test."