Antigua, Aug 11 (IANS): West Indies and South Africa women's teams will compete in a three-match T20I series followed by a five-match ODI series, starting August 31 in Antigua.

After a successful white-ball series against Pakistan last month, West Indies have announced that they will host South Africa for an eight-match tour.

The series will form an important part of the preparations for the ICC Women's World Cup Qualifiers that will help West Indies secure a spot in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup next year in New Zealand.

However, for South Africa, this series presents an opportunity for the players to showcase their skills on the international stage and test their readiness and bench strength, given that they have already qualified for the World Cup.

West Indies will hold a high-performance training camp ahead of the series under head coach, Courtney Walsh, who believes that the team is going in the right direction and is prepared for the upcoming challenge.

"We are delighted to have more cricket on the horizon as this will be a vital part of our preparations for the ICC World Cup Qualifiers. We are at a crucial juncture as we prepare for this big event and again, we want to thank CWI (Cricket West Indies) for organising this camp, the T20Is and the CG Insurance ODI series to get the girls up to speed," Walsh said.

"We were fantastic against Pakistan last month and we want to bring that winning momentum into this series of matches as well. We are going in the right direction, with the way we want. There is a lot to play for and we will be up for the challenge."

Fixtures

T20I Series: August 31, September 2 & 4.

ODI Series: September 7, 10, 13, 16 & 19.