Windies begin trip to UAE ahead of T20 World Cup

MOST of the West Indies-based squad (players and technical staff members) are on their way to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the forthcoming ICC (International Cricket Council) T20 World Cup.

The World Cup, which will be staged jointly in the UAE and Oman, takes place from October 17 to November 14.

In a brief Whatsapp exchange, CEO of Cricket West Indies (CWI) Johnny Grave said, “Most (left on Monday) night via the US or UK.”

A number of the 15-man WI players are in the UAE for the second half of the Indian Premier League (IPL) – captain Kieron Pollard, vice-captain Nicholas Pooran, Evin Lewis, Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell, Chris Gayle, Oshane Thomas, Shimron Hetmyer; as well as Jason Holder (one of the four reserves announced by the CWI selection panel).

In a recent interview, Grave mentioned that the WI team are expected to play India and Pakistan in warm-up matches before the World Cup bowls off.

Grave pointed out that there was no recent development on the proposed limited-overs tour of Pakistan in December.

In September, New Zealand pulled out of their tour of Pakistan hours before it began, while England pulled out of limited-overs trip to Pakistan – both citing security concerns.

On Monday, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said that the Government was considering a bid from the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) to host matches in the 2022 ICC Under-19 World Cup.

Grave, when asked about confirmation of host venues, replied, “Not yet. Hopefully by the end of next week.”

Concerning the resumption of regional cricket (Four-Day Tournament and Super50 Cup), Grave said, “(We are) hoping to have both tournaments in 2022.”