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The West Indies will be part of further cricket history on their already historic tour of England next year, when they participate in the first floodlit internationals staged in the country.

In the centenary year of West Indies' tours to England, Tim Lamb, chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), said yesterday there would be ``at least one'' day-night match against England as part of a triangular tournament also involving Zimbabwe.

But Lamb termed newspaper reports that the West Indies would play England at Edgbaston in Birmingham and Old Trafford in Manchester under lights ``speculative''.

``We haven't finalised the international itinerary but I can confirm that the West Indies will play at least one match under the lights,'' Lamb said.

``We are still talking to the West Indies Board about dates and venues for their tour and that involves Tests and matches against the counties as well as the One-Day series.''

Lamb pointed out that the ECB would have to await the outcome of Warwickshire's plans to erect permanent floodlights at Edgbaston before deciding whether one of the internationals could be staged there.

He confirmed that county grounds outside the Test match circuit would be used for some matches as they were in the World Cup. Newspaper reports stated they would be at Cardiff (Glamorgan), Bristol (Gloucestershire), Chester-le-Street (Dur-ham) and Canterbury (Kent).

Daylight final

Each team meets the other twice leading up to the daylight final at Lord's.

England, the West Indies and Zimbabwe are the only three of the nine Test-playing countries not to have staged day-night internationals.

But some One-Day county matches have been successfully played under lights in England in the past three seasons.

Next year's One-Day tournament has been sandwiched between Zimbabwe's two inaugural Tests in England and the West Indies' five Tests that have been provisionally scheduled for Edgbaston, Lord's, Old Trafford, Headingley in Leeds and the Oval.

Special tour

The West Indies arrive in England in late May following their home series against Pakistan for a tour that carries special significance for West Indies cricket.

The first representative West Indies team to England toured in 1900 under the captaincy of Aucher Warner. Test status was still 28 years away and their itinerary was restricted to matches mainly against the counties and combined team.

Fifty years on, John Goddard's team won the West Indies' first series in England mainly on the batting of the Three Ws, Frank Worrell, Everton Weekes and Clyde Walcott, and the openers, Jeffrey Stollmeyer and Allan Rae, and the spin bowling of the unknown 20-year-olds, Sonny Ramadhin and Alf Valentine.