ECB announce 2007 schedule

The ECB have announced England's international schedule for the 2007 season, in which they host West Indies for four Tests and India for three.

The warm-up matches for the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean begin on March 5, the tournament ending on April 28 - a mere two weeks from the start of England's international season. The West Indies play the opening Test of the summer - at Lord's, as is the tradition - on May 17. The Test series is followed by two back-to-back Twenty20 matches at The Oval and three further ODIs.

The first of three Tests against India begin on July 19, after which there are seven one-dayers - three of which will be floodlit.

"We have an exciting programme of international cricket planned in 2007 with series against two 'big-draw' teams in West Indies and India," John Carr, the ECB director of cricket operations said.

"[The] ECB and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have had a long-standing agreement that India's tour to the UK would directly reciprocate the three Test matches and seven one-day internationals played by England in India earlier this year.

"ECB is delighted to have secured the agreement of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to play a four-match Test series and a three-match one-day series that enables us to present this exciting seven-Test and ten-ODI international match programme for the 2007 season."