ST JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC – West Indies will open their campaign in the inaugural ICC World Test Championship when they host India in a two-match series starting in August.
The opening Test will be played at Vivian Richards Cricket Ground here from August 22-26 while Sabina Park in Jamaica will be the stage for the second Test from August 30 to September 3.
The five-week tour will also feature three One-Day Internationals and three Twenty20s – the first two of which will be played at the Central Broward Regional Park in Fort Lauderdale, United States.
“The West Indies and India have a long and colourful rivalry, and the MyTeam11 Series will bring more thrilling competition across every format of the game,” Cricket West Indies chief executive officer Jonny Grave said.
“We’ll be seeing some of the world’s best players go head to head in T20Is, ODIs and then in the new World Test Championship. West Indies fans, young and old, will have the opportunity to see some incredible cricket.”
West Indies saw an upturn in results during their last Test series earlier this year when they stunned highly-ranked England, 2-1, in a three-Test rubber in the Caribbean.
And they will be seeking similar exploits against India whom they have not beaten in a Test in nearly two decades.
The tour opens on US soil on August 3 with the T20 series, bringing together two of the most exciting sides in the game’s shortest format, in back-to-back encounters.
And CWI commercial, marketing and communications director, Dominic Warne said this was an extension of the thrust to build the US market.
“We’re excited to bring two more T20Is to Florida, giving the West Indies diaspora in North America the opportunity to watch the team play ‘live’ and in person,” he said.
“This continues our plans of growing our audience and the game’s appeal in North America to increase participation and investment back into the West Indies. The series will provide a chance for a growing audience in the United States, who follow the West Indies, to experience the fast-paced action of the T20 format.”
The final T20 is set for August 6 in Guyana where the opening ODI will also be staged on August 8.
Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad will host the remaining two ODIs on August 11 and 14, before the Test series gets underway.
