BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):THE WEST Indies cricket team will play three Tests and five One-Day Internationals on a tour of Pakistan in November and December, a senior official of the West Indies Cricket Board said yesterday.
Zorol Barthley, the WICB's cricket operations manager, said they had agreed to the number of matches with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), but the venues and exact dates had now to be worked on.
The tour will be played after the International Cricket Council's Champions Trophy, which will be contested in India from October 7 to November 5.
"We will be going to Pakistan after we defend our title in the Champions Trophy," Barthley said from his office in Antigua.
"We are on the verge of coming to an agreement with the PCB on the exact dates and venues. We will have a full slate of matches and this will be good for West Indies cricket and the West Indies players."
Barthley said they will use the five one-day matches in Pakistan as part of the preparation for the 2007 International Cricket Council's World Cup, which will be played in the West Indies from March 13 to April 28, next year.
"Every opportunity we get to get in any kind of preparations we can, we will use," Barthley said. "Pakistan is a tough, strong opponent and they will provide a good test."
During the World Cup, the West Indies and Pakistan will both be in Group D.
