West Indies announce fixtures for historic white-ball series against England

Jos Buttler's England are set to tour the West Indies for two white-ball series later this year, post the 50-over World Cup in India. The defending champions will visit Trinidad, one of the venues for their white-ball tour, for the first time in more than a decade. The tour will consist of three ODIs and five T20Is and is scheduled to commence on December 3.

The Three Lions, who are expected to make the knockouts of this year's 50-over World Cup in the subcontinent, are likely to rest several key players for the recently announced series as it is scheduled to take place just a couple of weeks after the World Cup. Furthermore, England are also scheduled to tour India for a much-anticipated Test series in January 2024.

Coming to the series, the first two ODIs of the tour will take place at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. The action will then travel to Barbados for a couple of matches, followed by Grenada, before concluding with the last two matches of the series at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad. The four venues named for the series will host two matches each.

"We are delighted to be able to confirm the England match schedule and to welcome once again their many travelling fans to the region for a pre-Christmas white-ball tour. This tour will be a major economic boost to the host countries, as well as providing our fans with the chance to see some of their favourite players in action against one of our biggest rivals," CWI's Chief Executive Johnny Grave said in an official statement.

The tour will also help with our ongoing venue preparation ICC Men's T20 World Cup: CWI chief

While Grave was delighted with the entertainment value the series will bring to the Caribbean, he also highlighted the fact that it would be a great test for the organisers as they are gearing up to host the upcoming edition of the T20 World Cup in 2024 along with the United States.

"The tour will also help with our ongoing venue preparation and event planning for one of the biggest events ever to be staged in the region, the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, which takes place in June next year," he added.