Busy Schedule for West Indies

The West Indies Cricket board has announced that Australia, Sri Lanka, England and Bangladesh are to tour the Caribbean over the next 18 months.

The West Indies' first visitors will be Australia, who completed a 5-0 whitewash of the Windies down under two winters ago. Australia will travel to Kingston, Jamaica after next year's World Cup in South Africa to begin a tour to include four test matches and seven ODI's.

The last time the baggy greens visited the West Indies, they were treated to an outstanding display of batting from Brian Lara, who scored 213, 153 not out and 100, as the series ended in a 2-2 draw.

The Australians will play the final ODI on June 1 in Grenada, a day before Sri Lanka arrive for their three ODI, two Test Series.

England's tour will commence on March 5, 2004 against a West Indian first class side, before their four tests and seven ODI's against the hosts. England make way for Bangladesh's first ever tour of the Caribbean two weeks later.

Bangladesh will play two tests and three ODI's against the West Indies.

Australian itinerary:

April 2003
5-7 -- v Guyanese President's XI, Georgetown
10-14 -- 1st Test, Georgetown
18-22 -- 2nd Test, Port of Spain
25-27 -- v University of West Indies XI, Cave Hill

May
1-5 -- 3rd Test, Bridgetown
9-13 -- 4th Test, St John's
17 -- 1st ODI, Kingston
18 -- 2nd ODI, Kingston
21 -- 3rd ODI, Castries
24 -- 4th ODI, Port of Spain
25 -- 5th ODI, Port of Spain
30 -- 6th ODI, St George's

June
1 -- 7th ODI, St George's