ICC announces schedule for World Cup warm-ups

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday announced the schedule for warm-up matches before next year's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. Each of the 14 teams that have qualified for the World Cup will play two matches between Feb. 8-13. The World Cup schedule had already been announced. Tne event gets underway on Feb. 14 when New Zealand host Sri Lanka in Christchurch and Australia play England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, which will also be the venue for the final on March 29. Schedule of warm-up matches: Feb. 8 - India v Australia, Adelaide Feb. 9 - South Africa v Sri Lanka, Christchurch; New Zealand v Zimbabwe, Christchurch; England v West Indies, Sydney; Pakistan v Bangladesh, Sydney Feb. 10 - Ireland v Scotland, Sydney; India v Afghanistan, Adelaide Feb. 11 – New Zealand v South Africa, Christchurch; Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe, Christchurch; Australia v United Arab Emirates, Melbourne; England v Pakistan, Sydney Feb. 12 - West Indies v Scotland, Sydney; Ireland v Bangladesh, Sydney Feb. 13 - Afghanistan v United Arab Emirates, Melbourne (Writing by Julian Linden in Singapore; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)