The International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved a six-match series of Twenty20 matches between Pakistan and Australia later this year, Aaj News reported.

If both countries decide to go ahead and play this series it will be the longest bilateral Twenty20 series in the history of International Cricket.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had initially proposed a series of three ODIs and three T20I  but health concerns from Australian Cricketers Association and Cricket Australia surfaced, implicating that the blistering heat of the UAE in August could cause serious damage to their players' health.

ICC has designed a rule for the number of matches to be played in a bilateral series but an exception to the rule is allowed if both countries asked for a special dispensation under special circumstances.

Pakistan's inability to play international cricket at home has  forced PCB to look for alternate venues. United Arab Emirates being the temporary home of Pakistan cricket team was the obvious choice for the series with Australia.

Extreme heating temperatures in the daytime, has given the ICC a plausible reason to approve the PCB-proposed six-match T20 series.

"Because of the extreme daytime heat in the UAE at that time of the year, the CEC raised no objections to the principle of a six-match T20I series replacing the scheduled series of three ODIs and three T20Is should the PCB elect to make that switch," the ICC said in a statement.

Approval of a six-match series has provided both Pakistan and Australia an opportunity to prepare for the T20 World Cup which will be held in Sri Lanka in September later this year.