Cricket West Indies today announced via a press release that the Sri Lanka tour to the Caribbean will commence on March 3.
The all-format international tour signals the return of international cricket to the Caribbean and will be played in a bio-secure environment in Antigua with matches at the Coolidge Cricket Ground (3 x T20Is) and Sir Vivian Richards Stadium (3 x ODIs and 2 x Tests).
The tour is from Wednesday March 3 to Friday April 2.
Photo credit: CWI Media
The release said the T20I Series will create history as the first official International matches to be played by the West Indies Men’s team at the Coolidge Cricket Ground (CCG) and the first West Indies T20Is to be played in Antigua since 2013. As reigning ICC T20 World Cup champions, West Indies will use these matches as important preparation for the defence of their T20 World Cup title which is scheduled to be held in India later this year.
The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium will host the CG Insurance ODI Series on March 10, 12, and 14. CWI also said The CG Insurance ODIs form part of the ICC Super League and these three matches provide the opportunity for West Indies to secure their first points as the team tries to qualify automatically for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in India.
The release also said the two Test matches will be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium with the first match starting on Sunday, March 21 and the second starting March 29, providing the West Indies with another opportunity to win points and climb the ICC World Test Championship table following the recent fantastic series win in Bangladesh.
There will be no in-match attendance from fans as the two teams will stay and play in bio-secure bubbles in Antigua due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Fans will be able to view the matches on TV, radio, and through CWI’s digital channels.
CWI stated they have been working closely with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Sport in Antigua & Barbuda to orchestrate all the logistics and agree with the safety and medical protocols for the tour. All players, support staff, and match officials will be kept in a bio-secure environment, with regular COVID-19 PCR testing taking place with assistance from the local Ministry of Health and CARPHA.
CWI President Ricky Skerritt stated:
“We are pleased to be able to finally confirm this tour. A number of COVID-19 related logistic hurdles have now been overcome and I want to thank Sri Lankan Cricket President, Shammi Silva and his team, for their co-operation in honouring their obligation to tour under the ICC FTP Agreement. We are also extremely grateful for the support we received from the Governments of Antigua & Barbuda, and St. Lucia in planning this tour.
But it is regrettable that we are unable to include St. Lucia as part of this home series as we had originally hoped to due to the delay in Sri Lanka arriving and the need for the tour to end before the start of the Indian Premier League.”
CWI CEO Johnny Grave, said:
“We are delighted to be able to re-start international cricket in the West Indies, with the announcement of the tour by Sri Lanka. We have a full schedule featuring all three formats, which is sure to attract lots of attention from our fans, especially following on from the terrific Test Series win in Bangladesh. A lot of detailed planning has gone into the hosting of this tour and we are confident it will be a success.”
FULL MATCH SCHEDULE
| Format | Date | Time*/ Location** |
|---|---|---|
| 1st T20I | March 3rd | 6pm EC/ 5pm JAM | CCG |
| 2nd T20I | March 5th | 6pm EC/ 5pm JAM | CCG |
| 3rd T20I | March 7th | 6pm EC/ 5pm JAM | CCG |
| 1st CG Insurance ODI | March 10th | 9:30am EC/ 8:30am JAM | SVRS |
| 2nd CG Insurance ODI | March 12th | 9:30am EC/ 8:30am JAM | SVRS |
| 3rd CG Insurance ODI | March 14th | 1:30pm EC/ 12:30pm JAM | SVRS |
| 2-Day Warm Up match | March 17th – 18th | Time TBD | CCG |
| 1st TEST | March 21st – 25th | 10am EC/ 9am JAM | SVRS |
| 2nd TEST | March 29th – April 2nd | 10am EC/ 9am JAM | SVRS |
