New Zealand captain Kane Williamson will lead his side in a test against Australia for the first time at the MCG in December next year.

Captain Kane Williamson wasn't even born the last time New Zealand played a Boxing Day test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Finally the wait is over for the Black Caps and Williamson who will lead them out in Australia's flagship match, 32 years on from their last MCG test.

New Zealand Cricket confirmed their team will face Australia at the MCG on Boxing Day next year as part of a three-test, three-ODI series across the Tasman.

MICHAEL DODGE/GETTY IMAGES The Boxing Day test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground is one of cricket's most prestigious matches.

It forms part of a bumper 2019-20 season also featuring inbound tours by England (two tests, five Twenty20s) pre-Christmas, and India (two tests, three one-day internationals, five T20s) in February-March.

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MICHAEL DODGE/GETTY IMAGES Banned Australian captain Steve Smith will likely be back in the frame for New Zealand's return to Melbourne for next year's Boxing Day test.

The International Cricket Council released the schedule for the new test championship and ODI qualification league on Wednesday, which for the Black Caps will start with two tests in Sri Lanka in August next year.

"It's exciting for fans and players to see the new context which is being given to ODI and test cricket," Williamson said in a statement.

"There's a lot to look forward to, but it's hard to go past the three-match test series in Australia next year as a highlight. I think all New Zealanders will have a circle around that one."

GETTY IMAGES The great Sir Richard Hadlee was man of the match after taking a 10-wicket bag in New Zealand's last Melbourne test, a tense draw in 1987.

Not since the great Sir Richard Hadlee was defied by Australian No 11 Mike Whitney in the epic draw of 1987 has New Zealand played an MCG test.

England (eight times), India (six), West Indies (five), South Africa (five), Pakistan (four) and Sri Lanka (two) have all featured since then. India are Australia's Boxing Day opponents this year.

Australia will likely be back to full strength, by which time bans for Steve Smith and David Warner for the South African ball tampering saga will have ended.

New Zealand will need to overcome a poor recent record across the Tasman, too. Since their 2-1 Hadlee-inspired series win in 1985, they won just one of their next 22 tests in Australia, in Hobart in 2011. On their last big occasion at the MCG, New Zealand suffered a heavy 2015 World Cup final defeat to Australia before a packed house of 93,000.

Melbourne aside, venues are yet to be confirmed for the Australian tour but, given it's a three-test series the Black Caps will likely grace the Sydney Cricket Ground for the traditional New Year test.

Remarkably New Zealand's last Sydney test was back in 1985, the tourists' only loss of that series.

The Future Tours Programme, covering all men's international cricket until 2023, is the first to incorporate the new test and ODI structures.

The nine top-ranked sides will play six test series in a two-year cycle, with the two top-ranked sides progressing to the June 2021 final for the World Test Championship.

In addition, the 12 test-playing nations and the Netherlands will participate in the 13-team ODI league from May 2020 to March 2022. All the sides will play eight series over a two-year cycle.

"By bringing more relevance and context into test and ODI cricket we can farewell what used to be known as neutral games, and introduce interest into every fixture, no matter which side is playing," NZC chief executive David White said.

New Zealand's next international series is against Pakistan including three tests in the United Arab Emirates, starting in October, while Sri Lanka (two tests, three ODIs, one T20), India (five ODIs, three T20s) and Bangladesh (three tests, three ODIs) are touring this summer. Venues and dates will be confirmed next month.​

AT A GLANCE

Schedule for the Black Caps' bumper season in 2019-20, which kicks off the ICC's new test and ODI championships:

August 2019 v Sri Lanka (away): 2 tests, 3 T20s

October-November v England (home): 2 tests, 5 T20s

December-January v Australia (away): 3 tests, 3 ODIs

February-March v India (home): 2 tests, 3 ODIs, 5 T20s

March 2020 v Australia (home): 3 T20s