West Indies to host England for first full tour in 10 years

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Cricket West Indies (CWI), on Friday (August 31), announced their home series schedule against England for January 2019, that 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 kick off their campaign with a 4-day warm-up fixture at The Three Ws Oval. Barbados, Antigua and St. Lucia will host the Test matches as the teams will vie for the Wisden Trophy. Windies’ last Test series victory against England had come in 2009, when they won the five-match series 1-0 at home.

The ODIs will be held 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).

While England are currently ranked number one in ODIs, Windies – ranked ninth – had only managed to scrape through to the 2019 World Cup as the tenth team. The five-match series could most likely be the final bilateral ODI series for both teams before the mega tournament kicks off in May next year.

The ODI series will be followed by 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:

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