EVEN though the calendar year may be drawing to a close, cricket never stops and next week will see the start of what will hopefully be a fascinating series between the West Indies and England.

The two teams are set to battle in a multi format series, with three One Day Internationals (ODIs) and five T20s set to be played across Antigua and Barbados.

It has been a little while since the West Indies have been on a tour, with the last time being the multi format they hosted against New Zealand in September/October.

Meanwhile it has been even longer since the English were on a tour, not since they lost an ODI series but won a T20 series against the Indians back in September.

The ODI’s will go towards earning points for the ICC Women’s Championship, which will help teams qualify for the 2025 World Cup.

The T20s set to serve as good warm up for January’s T20 World Cup, with both teams drawn into the same group for the tournament.

Both sides have added a few new faces into their squads since their most recent series.

The West Indies have only named a team for the first two ODIs, but Shemaine Campbelle and Kycia Knight are both back in the team after having missed the series against the Kiwis.

However they replace Stefanie Taylor, who picked up an injury in that series and so misses this one.

On the flipside, the English gain back a lot of experience into the squad.

The English have named an ODI squad and a T20 squad for this series, but among the inclusions for both series are captain Heather Knight and star all rounders Natalie Sciver and Katherine Brunt.

Lauren Winfield-Hill is also back in the T20 squad after a solid season in the WBBL for the Melbourne Stars.

SQUADS

West Indies (1st and 2nd ODI): Hayley Matthews, Shakera Selman, Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle, Afy Fletcher, Cherry Ann Fraser, Shabika Gajnabi, Sheneta Grimmond, Chinelle Henry, Kycia Knight, Chedean Nation, Karishma Ramharack, Kaysia Schultz, Rashada Williams

England ODI: Heather Knight, Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Alice Davidson-Richards, Freya Davies, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp, Emma Lamb, Nat Sciver, Danni Wyatt

England T20: Heather Knight, Lauren Bell, Katherine Brunt, Alice Capsey, Freya Davies, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Sarah Glenn, Amy Jones, Freya Kemp, Nat Sciver, Lauren Winfield-Hill, Issy Wong, Danni Wyatt

FIXTURE

First ODI – Sunday December 4 (Monday December 5 AEDT) – Antigua

Second ODI – Tuesday December 6 (Wednesday December 7 AEDT) – Antigua

Third ODI – Friday December 9 (Saturday December 10 AEDT) – Antigua

First T20 – Sunday December 11 (Monday December 12 AEDT) – Antigua

Second T20 – Wednesday December 14 (Thursday December 15 AEDT) – Barbados

Third T20 – Saturday December 17 (Sunday December 18 AEDT) – Barbados

Fourth T20 – Sunday December 18 (Monday December 19 AEDT) – Barbados

Fifth T20 – Thursday December 22 (Friday December 23 AEDT) – Barbados