The party are to spend 11 full days acclimatising in Antigua before travelling to Jamaica for the first Test.

Spare days are liberally interspersed, though England return on April 9, only a week or two before the start of the domestic season

England and West Indies will have met in December during the Sharjah one-day tournament in the United Arab Emirates. The four-nation event, with India and Pakistan, starts on Dec 11, with the final on Dec 19.

David Richards, chief executive of the International Cricket Council, said yesterday that all nine Test playing nations would be asked to study plans for a Test match league, which would run for a four-year period to produce a world champion.

This would require every nation playing each other home and away, with two points for a series victory - whether one or five Tests.

England's Itinerary (West Indies tour next year).-Jan 3: Depart for practice in Antigua. 12: Travel to Jamaica. 16-19: Jamaica Under-23. 22-25: Jamaica.

Jan 29-Feb 2: First Test (Jamaica). 6-9: Trinidad & Tobago. 1317: Second Test (Trinidad). 21-23: Guyana. 27-March 3: Third Test (Guyana).

March 7-9: Barbados. 12-16: Fourth Test (Barbados). 20-24: Fifth Test (Antigua). 27: Vice Chancellor's XI (1-day). 29: First international (Barbados). April 1: Second international (St Lu- cia). 4: Third international (St Vincent). 5: Fourth internation- al (St Vincent). 8: Fifth international (Trinidad). 9: Depart for London.