Under the terms of the deal, the BBC will summarise every day's play of the five Test matches and five one-day internationals in late-evening prgrammes. Sky Sports will again be providing live coverage of all those games.
John Rowlinson, the head of development for BBC Broadcast, said: ``This is great news for the majority of viewers who will be able to follow the fortunes of the English team at a time when they seem to stand their best chance in 30 years of winning a series against the West Indies in the Caribbean.''
On the domestic scene, England bowler Devon Malcolm is expected to join Northamptonshire today after telling Derbyshire that he will not accept new terms.
Confirmation of his departure came in a statement from Derbyshire which said: ``We are saddened and dis- appointed by his decision, especially in the light of the whole-hearted support Devon has always been given by the club during difficult times with England.''
The club pointed out that the fast bowler had been granted a testimonial last summer after only eight years as a capped player, rather than the customary 10.
Malcolm's departure at the end of a testimomial year which is expected to yield more than £250,000 - almost five times the county record - prompted a thinly-veiled rebuke in the statement.
``It will be a huge dis- appointment to his many fans and to all the club's supporters that he is leaving in a very profitable benefit year while claiming that the unrest of the 1997 season is his reason for moving.''
Malcolm is believed to feel that he received little support for his testimonial from within the dressing-room, a reluctance explained by some of his team-mates as a reaction to his unwillingness to align himself with the players during a feud with the committee after the departure of the captain, Dean Jones.
Malcolm, whose offer from Derbyshire was improved to more than £40,000 a year, yesterday replied: ``I have no comment on the statement. I will be calling a press conference in the next day or two about where I'm going.''
Northamptonshire are believed to be offering Malcolm, 34, a pay-and-perks package worth almost £200,000 over three years.
Dermot Reeve, who was forced to stop playing in 1996 by an arthritic hip, plans to appear in one-day matches for Somerset next season. Reeve, 34, led Warwickshire to six trophies in three summers and now coaches Somerset.
Bob Cottam, the former England player, will act as bowling coach next year for Warwickshire and Gloucestershire, who he worked with to considerable effect this year.
Seam bowlers Mike Smith and Jon Lewis of Gloucestershire, and Dougie Brown and Graeme Welch of Warwickshire all had comfortably their best season. Smith played for England while Brown made the squad for the Sharjah one-day competition.
England Winter Tour Dates (v West Indies): Test matches: Jan 29-Feb 2 (Jamaica), Feb 13-17 (Trinidad), Feb 27-March 3 (Guyana), March 12-16 (Barbados), March 20-24 (Antigua). One-day int'nals: March 29 (Barbados), April 1 (Barbados), April 4 (St Vincent), April 5 (St Vincent), April 8 (Trinidad).