Lillee, Walsh and Ambrose for beach cricket series

Former firebrand fast bowlers Dennis Lillee, Courtney Walsh and Curtley Ambrose will sizzle on sand this summer when they play a unique tri-nation series of beach cricket internationals.

Australia, the West Indies and England will play six-a-side matches in temporary beach stadiums at Coolangatta (January 20-21), Scarborough in Perth (Jan 26-27) and Maroubra, Sydney (Feb 3-4).

The matches will be played on specially developed plastic matting with a beach cricket ball loaded on one side so it is guaranteed to swing. The matches will be televised by Channel Ten, Australian Associated Press reported.

The 57-year-old Lillee will be reunited with his 56-year-old old partner Jeff Thomson, three decades after they terrorised England in the Ashes series of 1974-75, under the captaincy of former Australia captain and current selector Allan Border.

The team, also including Mark Waugh, Kim Hughes, Dean Jones and Damien Fleming, put on an exhibition on a trucked-in beach overlooking the Sydney Opera House on Tuesday.

The West Indies team, apart from Walsh and Ambrose, also includes fast bowling great Joel Garner, and England have included Darren Gough, provided he is not picked for England's World Cup team.

Thomson said he would meet Lillee on Wednesday to work out their plan of attack.

"I suspect that we'll be doing a bit of hard work between now and January," he was quoted as saying.

He said the matches would be fun, but serious enough for him to get fired up if someone got under his skin.