The West Indies cricket team arrived in South Africa on Monday afternoon ahead of their two-month tour.
The West Indies, under the captaincy of Brian Lara, arrived from Zimbabwe where they completed a 3-2 win in the one-day international (ODI) series and won the Test series one-nil.
United Cricket Board of South Africa CEO Gerald Majola was on hand at Johannesburg International airport to welcome the 15-man squad.
Majola said: ”It’s an honour and a delight to welcome the West Indies back to South Africa again. They are a young and exciting team, with some truly world-class players, many of whom are in good form at the moment.”
”There is a strong bond between South Africa and the West Indies as it was in Barbados that South Africa returned to the International fraternity in 1992. Our team is also a youthful one and the contest between the two sides in both forms of the game should make for a very exciting Summer Series ahead,” Majola added.
The West Indies were last in South Africa in 1998/99 when South Africa won the Test Series 5-nil and the ODI series. This time around they will play four Castle Lager/MTN Test matches and a five-match Standard Bank ODI series.
The squad that arrived is for the first portion of the tour, which will incorporate the Castle Lager/MTN Test series in which the teams will be competing for the Sir Viv Richards Trophy, currently held by South Africa by virtue of their 2-1 victory in the Caribbean in 2001.
Fast bowler Jerome Taylor returned home with a back injury, shortly after arriving in Johannesburg. A replacement will be named later this week. The opening match of the tour takes place on Wednesday December 3 at Randjesfontein when the West Indies meet the NFO Invitation Xl. — Sapa
Summer series fixtures
Wed Dec 3: Day One-Day Tour vs NFO X I Randjesfontein
Fri Dec 5-8: Four-Day Tour vs Free State Bloemfontein
Fri Dec 12-16: 1st Castle Lager/MTN Test vs South Africa Johannesburg
Fri Dec 19-22: Four-Day Tour vs Border East London
Fri Dec 26-30: 2nd Castle Lager/MTN Test vs South Africa Durban
Fri Jan 2-6: 3rd Castle Lager/MTN Test vs South Africa Cape Town
Fri Jan 9-12: Four-Day Tour vs Easterns Benoni
Fri Jan 16-20: 4th Castle Lager/MTN Test vs South Africa Centurion
Fri Jan 23: D/N One-Day Tour vs South Africa ‘A’ Paarl
Sun Jan 25: D/N 1st Standard Bank ODI vs South Africa Cape Town
Wed Jan 28: D/N 2nd Standard Bank ODI vs South Africa Port Elizabeth
Fri Jan 30: D/N 3rd Standard Bank ODI vs South Africa Durban
Sun Feb 1: Day 4th Standard Bank ODI vs South Africa Centurion
Wed Feb 4: D/N 5th Standard Bank ODI vs South Africa