A visit by Australia's Test team in May following their unofficial `world championship' against the West Indies has been confirmed -- their second trip here in four years.

And New Zealand and India could follow in the next two years, Bermuda Cricket Board of Control president Ed Bailey revealed this week. The upcoming series in the Caribbean between the two powers of world cricket will attract several hundred Bermudians to the different islands down south. And it's expected that similar enthusiasm will be shown for the Aussies when they arrive in Bermuda in early May for a five-match tour.

The Australian squad will be vastly different from the one that visited Bermuda in May, 1991 for three matches. Captain Allan Border, the leading run-getter in Test history, has now retired and the likes of Dean Jones, Merv Hughes and Bruce Reid are all nearing the end of their careers. Also certain to be missing from the last tour are Geoff Marsh, Greg Matthews, Peter Taylor, Mike Whitney, Mike Veletta and Terry Alderman as a host of exciting new youngsters push their way into Test reckoning.

The Australians, however, will have plenty of drawing power, not least batsmen David Boon, Michael Slater, twins Mark and Steve Waugh, captain Mark Taylor, wicketkeeper Ian Healy and paceman Craig McDermott.

But the biggest name in Australian cricket at present is spin bowler Shane Warne who many rate as the top bowler of his type in the world.

Two factors apparently counted in Bermuda's favour during their negotiations to bring in Australia -- the fact that they are in their off-season back home and few of their players have contracts with English counties which would require them to head straight to England at the end of the Caribbean series.

This week it was confirmed by Gloucestershire that Boon had decided against accepting a contract to play for that county, which frees him up to return to Bermuda.

"I haven't been told that there would be anyone excluded,'' said BCBC president Ed Bailey in reference to the make-up of the Australian tour party.

"What I have been told is that the tour party is 18 for the West Indies and to make reservations for the whole 18 here in Bermuda. That's what I was instructed to do by the Australian board.'' Bailey was hoping to have the Aussies, who were popular tourists in Bermuda on their last visit, play six matches during their nine-day stay which takes in two weekends. The Australians, however, were asking for a four match schedule and a compromise was reached at five, the first of which is scheduled for Sunday, May 7, just three days after the fourth Test ends in Kingston, Jamaica.

Other games are planned for Tuesday, May 9, Thursday, May 11 and Saturday and Sunday May 13 and May 14 before they leave Bermuda on May 15.

"We just set up an itinerary for their purposes but we haven't decided who we are going to invite for these fixtures,'' Bailey explained.

The Bermuda team, a President's XI and a youth team are expected to be three of the opponents with one or both of the Cup Match clubs also likely to be considered.

"Whenever we can get a team from that side of the world and of that quality, it says something for Bermuda because the West Indies haven't had their full Test team up here and England had their England A but not full Test team,'' Bailey stressed.

"New Zealand have also approached us about coming in 1996 when they will be in the West Indies, following in the footsteps of Australia. Australia have probably been the most helpful Test team as far as sending a full strength team.'' Bailey said there was also a possibility that Jamaica would tour here later in the summer in what will be a busy year for local cricket with the youth team also heading off to the International Youth Tournament.

Further down the road, the Indian team might also be able to squeeze in a Bermuda stopover at the end of their 1997 tour of the Caribbean, a possibility Bailey says has been discussed.

"The president of the Indian board spoke to me during the summer and asked me to pencil in India for '97,'' added Bailey.

Also in the works is the setting up a tournament involving teams from the Caribbean, Bermuda and the United States and Canada in a competition that would be similar to the Asian Cup.

"The West Indies approached us recently and they are hoping that Bermuda, Canada, the United States, along with some of the stronger West Indian islands will start a competition, hopefully in '96. We're in the initial stages now and this also came out of the ICC meeting with the West Indies board.'' Added Bailey: "We haven't quite set up the structure but the comforting thing is that they are interested in forming a competition over this side of the world and they see a need to support Bermuda, Canada and the US.

"I would think the cheapest thing would be to stage it in the West Indies.'' Bailey said he had spoken with Dr. Ali Bacher of the United Cricket Board of South Africa who were also looking at making a trip to Bermuda and possibly hosting Bermuda on a trip that could also incorporate Zimbabwe and Kenya.

"He told me he's going to start something similar to the Asian Cup in Africa,'' said Bailey. "He said he's going to have six or seven States from the African continent. Cricket is really dynamic is Africa.'' SHANE WARNE -- arguably the best spin bowler currently playing Test cricket.