England announce South Africa and West Indies tour fixture

AFP: South Africa will face the second-string England Lions ahead of their four-Test series in England next year, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced Wednesday.

Later in the season, the West Indies will have a trio of three-day games against county sides before the start of their three-Test series against England.

In July, the ECB confirmed the major international fixtures for both the South Africa and West Indies tours, with England also staging the 2017 Champions Trophy tournament featuring the world’s top eight one-day nations.

Wednesday’s statement filled in the gaps in the tour schedules and ECB chief executive Tom Harrison said: “We’re very pleased to have agreed such a comprehensive touring programme for 2017 - a schedule which will provide fans with even more opportunities to see two international teams in action at county grounds; and help our Lions players test themselves against high quality opposition in both red and white-ball cricket.“With this country also hosting the ICC Champions Trophy and the ICC Women’s World Cup next season, 2017 promises to be a hugely exciting summer of cricket - and a strong platform to promote our sport to an even wider and more diverse audience.” South Africa A will also visit England in 2017 for a tour culminating in a ‘Test’ against the Lions in Canterbury in June.