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The West Indies will play their first ever Test match against Zimbabwe in the Caribbean next season.

Zimbabwe, the latest team to gain Test status in 1992, have taken the place of New Zealand for the first leg of the international season for 2000, West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Stephen Camacho said yesterday, confirming reports from Harare.

They are scheduled for two Tests before taking part in a three-way series of One-Day Internationals with the West Indies and Pakistan, who will stay on for three Tests.

``New Zealand had originally been slated to come but it turned out that there was a clash of dates with Australia's tour there,'' Camacho said. ``We have been unable to finalise the details of the itineraries for Zimbabwe and Pakistan as we are still negotiating with Pakistan.''

Provisional dates are reportedly from early March through to late May for both tours.

Camacho explained that developments in Pakistan, where the board has been suspended and replaced by anad hoc committee, had complicated matters.

``We expect Pakistan to come as scheduled, but it is just a matter of coming to an agreement on the itinerary,'' he said.

In their seven years as a full International Cricket Council (ICC) member, Zimbabwe have played against all the other Test teams except Australia and the West Indies. Australia tour there in October for their inaugural one-off Test and three internationals.

The Zimbabweans have demonstrated in the past year that they are now competitive opponents and the West Indies, in the process of looking to the future, are unlikely to find them pushovers.

While they have won only three of their 34 Tests, against 15 defeats, Zimbabwe's improvement is evident in a1-0 series triumph last November in Pakistan – where the West Indies had been walloped 3-0 a year earlier – and a home victory over India in a one-off Test a month earlier.

They also progressed to the Super Sixes of the World Cup in June, where England, Sri Lanka and the West Indies could not reach.

By the time they arrive in the West Indies, they would have played their Test against Australia, two home and away against neighbours South Africa and three at home against Sri Lanka.

Between now and their 2000 home season, the West Indies have limited-overs series in Singapore next month and Bangladesh and Sharjah in October before going to New Zealand in December and January for two Tests and five One-Day Internationals.

Their series against Zimbabwe and Pakistan will be followed by a full tour of England next summer for five Tests and a three-way One-Day series also involving Zimbabwe.