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WEST Indies will take part in a tri-series in Zimbabwe in August and September along with the hosts and Pakistan, the West Indies Cricket Board confirmed yesterday.

It means there could be a straight contest between the two visiting sides for the eighth and last Champions Trophy spot, although the Pakistan Cricket Board and Zimbabwe Cricket are yet to confirm the scheduling of the series.

West Indies and Pakistan are currently ranked eighth and ninth in the International Cricket Council one-day international (ODI) rankings, with only a point separating them. Only the top seven sides as on September 30, apart from hosts England, will make it to the 2017 Champions Trophy. Bangladesh are ranked seventh and their recent win against India has given them a reasonably comfortable five-point lead over West Indies, with a three-match home series against South Africa to follow next month.

Pakistan have five ODIs against Sri Lanka in July but the Zimbabwe tri-series will be the only time West Indies play one-day cricket before the Champions Trophy cut-off date. The Caribbean side has not played any ODIs since the World Cup. — ESPN Cricinfo.