The West Indies cricket team will open their three-Test series against Australia with a clash at Hobart in Tasmania. The series which will comprise three Test matches will begin on December 10 at the Blundstone Arena in Hobart. The players will then travel to Melbourne for the annual Boxing Day Test, which will be played from December 26.
The series will wrap up in the new year with a January 3 clash at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). There will be no limited overs matches or T20s on the tour. Similarly, Australia played two Test matches against the West Indies earlier this year in the Caribbean and there were no limited overs or T20 matches on that tour. Australia won the series 2-0 with convincing wins in Dominica and Sabina Park in Jamaica.
Prior to this tour of Australia, West Indies is expected to visit Africa and then Asia for two series. On August 19, they will begin their tour of Zimbabwe, as they take part in a tri-series involving Pakistan. This series ends on September 4 and the West Indies will be looking to secure their place in the next Champions Trophy in England in 2017.
West Indies is currently eighth in the ICC rankings and by September 30, needs to be in the top eight, or miss out.
As it stands, Bangladesh is seventh and five points ahead of them and Pakistan is ninth—one point below the West Indies. After this assignment, the West Indies travel to Sri Lanka where they will play against that country in three Test matches, five ODIs and two T20s. There is also talk of the WICB negotiating with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to play a number of T20 matches after the Sri Lankan series, as preparation for the next T20 World Cup to be held in India next February.
