Six Tests, 10 ODIs for WI in South Africa

BRIDGETOWN: The West Indies cricket team will play six Tests and 10 One-Day Internationals on tours of  Zimbabwe and South Africa from October to February, officials said yesterday.

The regional team will visit Zimbabwe first for a tour that includes two Tests and five one-dayers and runs from Oct 27 to Nov 30, the West Indies Cricket Board said. The three-month tour of South Africa follows immediately with the West Indies playing four Tests before a series of five One-Day Internationals. There will also be three First-Class matches and two one-day warm-ups outside of the internationals. It will be the Second Test tours of each country for the West Indies.

The West Indies lost all five Tests on their first visit to South Africa in 1998-99 and were beaten 6-1 in a series of seven One-Day Internationals. The team was more successful on their inaugural tour of  Zimbabwe in the summer of 2001, winning the two-Test series 1-0 and the triangular Coca-Cola Cup one-day tournament, which also included India. The WICB also said that the 2003 regional one-day competition — the Red Stripe Bowl — was likely to take place in early October with qualifying zones in Jamaica and Antigua. The tournament’s semi-finals and final are once again carded for Jamaica’s north coast at Kaiser Sports Club in Discovery Bay.

Tour schedules:
Zimbabwe:
Oct. 30-Nov. 1: First-Class practice match at Harare.
Nov. 4-8: First Test at Harare.
Nov. 12-16: Second Test at Bulawayo.
Nov. 19: One-day practice match at Kwe Kwe.
Nov. 22: First One-Day International at Bulawayo.
Nov. 23: Second One-Day International at Bulawayo.
Nov. 26: Third One-Day International at Harare.
Nov. 29: Fourth One-Day International at Harare.
Nov. 30: Fifth One-Day International at Harare.
South Africa:
Dec. 3: One-day practice match at Randjesfontein.
Dec. 5-8: First-Class practice match at Bloemfontein.
Dec. 12-16: First Test at Centurion.
Dec. 19-22: First-Class practice match at East London.
Dec. 26-30: Second Test at Durban.
Jan. 2-6: Third Test at Cape Town.
Jan. 9-12: First-Class practice match at Port Elizabeth.
Jan. 16-20: Fourth Test at Johannesburg.
Jan. 23: One-day practice match at Paarl.
Jan. 25: First One-Day International at Cape Town  (day/night).
Jan. 28: Second One-Day International at Port Elizabeth  (day/night).
Jan. 30: Third One-Day International at Durban (day/night).
Feb. 1: Fourth One-Day International at Centurion.
Feb. 4: Fifth One-Day International at Johannesburg  (day/night).