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KARACHI, April 24: Each participating team, including hosts England, at next month's World Cup will play three warm-up matches before the tournament gets under way from May 14.

A total of 36 warm-up one-day ties against the 18 English counties are scheduled to be played between May 7 and 12.

All the 12 competing teams will be hosted by a county in the first fortnight leading up to the tournament. The only counties not involved - Middlesex, Surrey, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Warwickshire and Nottinghamshire - are those based at a Test ground.

Derbyshire will host Pakistan while the other hosts during the period to the remaining World Cup Group 'B' contenders will be Gloucestershire (West Indies), Glamorgan (Australia), Hampshire (New Zealand), Durham (Scotland) and Essex (Bangladesh).

The Group 'A' teams will be hosted by Kent (England), Leicestershire (India), Northamptonshire (Sri Lanka), Sussex (South Africa), Worcestershire (Zimbabwe) and Somerset (Kenya).

According to the schedule, Pakistan play Derbyshire at Derby on May 8, Durham at Chester-le-Street on 10th and Lancashire at Old Trafford on 12th before their first World Cup clash against the West Indies at Bristol on May 16.

Defending champions Sri Lanka face England in the opening game of the 1999 World Cup at Lord's.

Schedule of World Cup warm-up matches:

May 7: Kent v England at Canterbury; Leicestershire v India at Leicester; Sussex v South Africa at Hove; Northamptonshire v Sri Lanka at Northampton; Worcestershire v Zimbabwe at Worcester; Somerset v Kenya at Taunton.

May 8: Glamorgan v Australia at Cardiff; Derbyshire v Pakistan at Derby; Gloucestershire v West Indies at Bristol; Hampshire v New Zealand at Southampton; Essex v Bangladesh at Chelmsford; Durham v Scotland at Chester-le-Street.

May 9: Essex v England at Chelmsford; Yorkshire v India at Headingley; Kent v South Africa at Canterbury; Nottinghamshire v Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge; Derbyshire v Zimbabwe at Derby; Gloucestershire v Kenya at Bristol.

May 10: Worcestershire v Australia at Worcester; Durham v Pakistan at Chester-le-Street; Warwickshire v West Indies at Edgbaston; Surrey v New Zealand at The Oval; Middlesex v Bangladesh at Lord's; Lancashire v Scotland at Old Trafford.

May 11: Hampshire v England at Southampton; Nottinghamshire v India at Trent Bridge; Middlesex v South Africa at Lord's; Leicestershire v Sri Lanka at Leicester; Warwickshire v Zimbabwe at Edgbaston; Glamorgan v Kenya at Cardiff.

May 12: Somerset v Australia at Taunton; Lancashire v Pakistan at Old Trafford; Surrey v West Indies at The Oval; Sussex v New Zealand at Hove; Northamptonshire v Bangladesh at Northampton; Yorkshire v Scotland at Headingley.