West Indies Announce Schedule Of Full-Fledged Home Series Against England
Cricket West Indies (CWI), on Friday (August 31), announced the schedule of their home series against England for January 2019. The full-fledged series includes three Tests, five One-Day Internationals (ODI) and three Twenty 20 Internationals (T20I). The two-month long tour will be the longest home series for West Indies against England since 2009.
England will start their campaign in the Caribbeans with a 4-day warm-up fixture at The Three Ws Oval. The hosts will then take on the visitors at Barbados, Antigua and St. Lucia for the Wisden Trophy. West Indies will be looking to register their first Test series win over England since 2009. West Indies had won that five-match series 1-0.
After that, the two teams will play the ODIs at Barbados’ Kensington Oval (1st and 2nd), Grenada’s National Cricket Stadium (3rd and 4th) and St. Lucia’s Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium (5th ODI).
The series will serve as preparation for next year’s World Cup for both the teams. England, currently the top-ranked ODI side in the world, will be looking to continue their impressive show in the 50-over format. On the other hand, the hosts, ranked ninth in the world, will eye some good outing before the World Cup. The two-time World Cup champions managed to qualify for the event as the last team after finishing runners-up in the Qualifiers.
After that, the teams will play three T20Is.
“England coming to the region is always a special occasion for cricket fans and we are pulling out all the stops for a successful series on and off the field. West Indies fans create a unique spectator atmosphere and not only do England fans add to this, they bring in a significant tourism boost to the region as thousands will travel here to enjoy the cricket and experience the unique Caribbean culture and hospitality,” said Cricket West Indies’ chief executive officer, Johnny Grave.
Itinerary of West Indies vs England series:
January 15 – January 18: Practice match, The Three Ws Oval, Barbados
January 23 – 27: 1st Test, Kensington Oval, Barbados
January 31 – February 4: 2nd Test, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua
February 9 – 13: 3rd Test, Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, St Lucia
February 17: 50-over Practice match, The Three Ws Oval, Barbados
February 20: 1st ODI, Kensington Oval, Barbados
February 22: 2nd ODI, Kensington Oval, Barbados
February 25: 3rd ODI, National Cricket Stadium, Grenada
February 27: 4th ODI, National Cricket Stadium, Grenada
March 2: 5th ODI, Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, St Lucia
March 5: 1st T20I, Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, St Lucia
March 8: 2nd T20I, Warner Park, St Kitts
March 10: 3rd T20I, Warner Park, St Kitts