Dubai | St John’s – West Indies will host India for a full home series in July and August next year followed by a white-ball tour from England in December 2023 at the start of its future tours programme (FTP) for the period 2023-27.
The sport’s world governing body, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Thursday the FTP, a result of a collective effort of Full Members with ICC’s support, ensures certainty of cricket fixtures with the confirmation of all bilateral series across the three formats.
Cricket West Indies, the sport’s regional governing body, indicated that the visits from India and England will form part of more than 150 international matches that West Indies will play home and away within the new FTP.
“Cricket West Indies (CWI) is pleased that the new men’s (2023-2027) and women’s (2023-2025) FTP have been finally agreed,” CWI president Ricky Skerritt said. “They provide some operational and financial certainty of our medium-term bilateral tours and matches across all formats against all other full member nations.”
West Indies have two challenging tours early in the FTP, as they are scheduled to tour Australia for two Tests, three ODIs, and three T20Is between January and February 2024, followed by a tour of Pakistan for three Tests, all Test matches being part of the third cycle of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC).
The West Indies are also scheduled to play limited overs series against England, New Zealand, South Africa, and Sri Lanka apart from their Test obligations to be played as part of the two WTC competitions during the FTP cycle.
CWI chief executive officer Jonny Grave said the major highlight during the period will be the joint hosting of the ICC Men’s Twenty20 International World Cup in June 2024.
“We will partner with the United States to deliver an event of the highest quality on and off the field,” he said.
“The hosting of the men’s T20I World Cup will help to inspire the next generation of young West Indians and re-ignite the cricketing passion of our fans in the Caribbean and around the world, as well as provide a legacy and catalyst for growth of the sport within the U.S.”
He added: “We are also pleased that we have once again been able to secure full windows for the Indian Premier League and Caribbean Premier League for our players as we try to find a balance between our international commitments and the significant earning opportunities for our players from domestic leagues.
“The 2023-27 FTP will also form part of the countdown and build-up to the centennial celebrations of West Indies participation in international cricket. 2028 marks the 100th anniversary of our first Test match and a fantastic opportunity to commemorate all the great things about our rich cricket legacy and to promote the amazing brand of West Indies cricket as we prepare for the historic celebrations.”
The exact dates of the series are for the opposing teams to announce in due course.
(PR/AR)
