West Indies to host Zimbabwe and India

The West Indies Cricket Board have announced that West Indies will host Zimbabwe and then India for Test and one-day series during their home season in 2006.

Zimbabwe will arrive in West Indies on April 12 to play two Tests and five one-day internationals before leaving on May 15, according to a media release. The ODI fixture in St. Lucia on May 10 will be the first day-night match to be played in the West Indies. India will arrive on May 15 to play four Test matches and five one-day internationals during their six-week tour.

West Indies A will host England A during February and March 2006 followed by Sri Lanka A in May. West Indies A will also tour England in July 2006, after the conclusion of the home season. The proximity of fixtures for the national side and the A side will give the West Indies A players a chance to break into the national team.

Plans are being finalised for West Indies under-19 team to tour Pakistan before the International Cricket Council Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka in February 2006. West Indies were runners-up in the last Under-19 World Cup in 2004.

The preliminary round of the President's Cup, the regional one-day championship, will be held in Barbados from October 3. The semi-finals will be held at the Bourda Oval in Guyana from October 12 and the final is on October 16 at the same venue.