India tour of West Indies tentatively approved for July

India have tentatively agreed to tour the West Indies from July to August for a three-match One-Day International (ODI) series and five-match T20 International (T20I) series.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to confirm the tour but a final decision is expected within the coming days.

The ODI series, once confirmed, is likely to bowl off at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain from July 22. All three matches are expected to be held at the same venue.

Additionally, the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba is favoured to host its first-ever T20 International match – the first of five T20s between India and the West Indies.

The other four T20s are expected to get under way in St Kitts and Florida, both venues hosting two matches each.

When asked if the tour has been given the all-clear from Cricket West Indies and the BCCI, TT Cricket Board (TTCB) president Azim Bassarath said, “It is always refreshing to have a team of India’s calibre to visit any country in the world.

“India, being the leading cricketing nation in the world, we are very happy that CWI and India have this agreement pending. I don’t think India signed off on the tour as yet though.”

If the tour and venues are confirmed, this would be the first time in over two years that top-flight international cricket will be played on local soil, owing to the pandemic.

The last time the Queen’s Park Oval, and Trinidad by extension, hosted an ODI series was back in August 2019 against India. India played two of the three-match ODI series at the historic venue and won both.

They eventually took the series 2-0 after the opening ODI in Guyana forced a no-result owing to persistent rainfall.

Since the pandemic hit in March 2020, the venue has only been used to host Caribbean Premier League T20, Nagico Super 50, Regional Four-Day and ICC U19 World Cup matches. If the tour comes off, both Trinidad venues are expected to attract large crowds.

During the pandemic, the south venue was authorised by International Cricket Council (ICC) officials as an ICC-certified T20I venue.

The Ministry of Sport recently announced that outdoor sport facilities can operate as safe zones at 75 per cent capacity.