Windies A to tour England in hectic schedule

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – West Indies A will tour England later this year following a pull out from New Zealand, the England and Wales Cricket Board has announced.

The ECB said Thursday the West Indies Cricket Board agreed to step in and fill the void after New Zealand Cricket requested that their side’s tour of England be postponed.

Windies A will also participate in a triangular one-day series with India A and the England Lions, the country’s A side, and will also replace New Zealand A as opposition for India A in two A-team Tests.

These four-day matches have been carded for June 10-13 at Grace Road, Leicester and June 17-20 at Whitgift School in the tour which runs from June 2-9.

West Indies will open their tour with a three-day match against Glamorgan starting June 5 before facing India in the two four-day Tests.

They will play two warm-up matches against Ireland in Belfast before meeting India and England A on June 28 and 29 at Northampton in the opening matches of the triangular tournament. The tournament final is scheduled for Old Trafford on July 8.

The England tour comes as part of a wider Windies A schedule being chartered by the WICB. It will see a four-day match and two Twenty20 games in Grenada against the Zimbabwe senior side that will be in the region as part of their preparation for the World Twenty20 Championship starting in April.

In May, the Windies travel to Bangladesh where they will contest a limited-overs tri-nation series with the host nation’s A Team and South Africa A.

They will also play two four-day matches against Bangladesh A before embarking on the tour of England and Ireland.

WEST INDIES  ITINERARY

West Indies A vs. Zimbabwe (in Grenada)

April 16-19: at Grenada National Stadium

April 22: T20 at Grenada National Stadium

April 24: T20 at Progress Park

West Indies A in Bangladesh

May 2: arrive in Dhaka

May 4: Bangladesh A vs. South Africa A at KSOS

May 5: West Indies A vs. South Africa A at KSOS

May 7: West Indies A vs. Bangladesh A at KSOS

May 8: Bangladesh A vs. South Africa A at KSOS

May 10: West Indies A vs. South Africa A at KSOS

May 11: West Indies A vs. Bangladesh A at KSOS

May 13: FINAL at KSOS

May 15-18: West Indies A vs. Bangladesh A at BKSP

May 21-24: West Indies A vs. Bangladesh A at BKSP

May 25: depart Dhaka

West Indies A in England and Ireland

June 2: arrive England

June 5-7: vs. Glamorgan at SWALEC

June 10-13: vs. India A at Grace Road

June 17-20: vs. India A at Whitgift School, Croydon

June 23: vs. Ireland at Belfast Stormont

June 25: vs. Ireland at Belfast Stormont

Tri-nation One-Day Series

June 28: West Indies A vs. India A at Northampton

June 29: West Indies vs. England Lions at Northampton

July 1: England Lions vs. India A at Grace Road, Leicester

July 2: West Indies A vs. India A at Grace Road, Leicester

July 4: West Indies A vs. England Lions at New Road, Worcester

July 6: England Lions vs. India A at New Road, Worcester

July 8: FINAL at New Road, Leicester

(if West Indies A do not make final – vs. Lancashire at Old Trafford)

July 9: depart England