October 16 Wednesday 2002
Aussies to tour Caribbean after World Cup

GEORGETOWN, Guyana: The West Indies will play Australia in four Tests and seven One-day Internationals in the Caribbean next year.

The Australians will head to the Caribbean following the World Cup in South Africa, with their first match with a Guyanese Cricket Board President's XI beginning on April 5. Australia were held to a 2-2 draw when they last visited the West Indies in 1999, a Test series in which Brian Lara made scores of 213, 153 not out and 100.

But they followed that by handing out a 5-0 thrashing on home soil two winters ago, a result which led to the sacking of Jimmy Adams as the West Indies captain.

The West Indies Cricket Board have also issued provisional itineraries for tours by England and Bangladesh in 2004. 

England will also play four Tests, the first to start in Kingston on March 11, and seven one-day games. Bangladesh's first Caribbean tour will take place in May and June and will feature three one-dayers, to be followed by two Test matches.

Australian itinerary:
April: 5-7 v Guyanese President's XI, Georgetown
April: 10-14 1st Test, Georgetown
April 18-22: 2nd Test, Port of Spain
April 25-27: v University of West Indies XI, Cave Hill
May 1-5: 3rd Test, Bridgetown
May 9-13: 4th Test, St John's
May 17: 1st ODI, Kingston
May 18: 2nd ODI, Kingston
May 21: 3rd ODI, Castries
May 24: 4th ODI, Port of Spain
May 25: 5th ODI, Port of Spain
May 30: 6th ODI, St George's
June 1: 7th ODI, St George's