St John’s, Antigua – In light of media reports in the Asian sub-continent regarding the Pakistan tour of the West Indies in 2013, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) provides details regarding the scheduling of international cricket for the 2013 season:
1. Earlier this year (2012) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) approached the WICB with a proposal to reschedule the Sri Lanka tour of the Caribbean scheduled for April/May 2013 as per the Future Tours Programme (FTP), with a view to allowing the Sri Lankan players to participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
2. The SLC proposal found favour with the WICB as it would also allow for West Indian players to participate in the IPL. The WICB has been of the stated position that where possible it will seek to avoid a situation where players have to choose between representing the West Indies and playing in the IPL. WICB is fully cognizant though that this will not always be avoidable and has been engaging players on a one-on-one basis to determine the best compromise positions.
3. Due to a subsequent agreement reached with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Sri Lanka agreed to play the West Indies v Sri Lanka Limited Overs leg of the 2013 tour as part of a Tri Nation Series in June/July following the completion of the ICC Champions Trophy. The West Indies v Sri Lanka Test Series would be deferred to a later date. Both SLC and the BCCI have confirmed the participation of the Sri Lankan and Indian cricket teams in the Tri Nation Series.
4. The Tri Nation Series is scheduled to commence on June 28th and conclude on July 11th. (The WICB will announce the Tri Nations Series schedule in a separate media release.)
5. As Pakistan was scheduled to tour the Caribbean from the last week in June to the last week of July 2013, the end of the Tri Nation Series would mean a clash with the start of the Pakistan tour.
6. The WICB therefore sought the agreement of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to shift the start of the Pakistan tour to immediately after July 11th. This would have resulted in the Pakistan tour going over to August.
7. This proposed shift did not find favour with the PCB for reasons which are understandable to the WICB.
8. Consequently the Pakistan tour of the Caribbean is proposed to be played immediately following the Tri Nation Series and concluding at the end of July. The PCB is currently considering drafts of the schedule and the Operations Departments of the WICB and PCB are working towards finalizing a mutually satisfactory schedule.
The WICB will provide further information as decisions are taken and agreements and plans are finalized.
