Sri Lanka ‘A’, England Lions to tour Caribbean

Cricket West Indies has announced the match schedule for the Sri Lanka ‘A’ tour of the Caribbean in October and England Lions tour in February 2018.

The Sri Lankans will face West Indies ‘A’ in a series of three ‘Tests’ and three One-day matches to be played between October 11 and November 5 in Jamaica.

Sri Lanka ‘A’ previously visited the Caribbean in June 2013, when the two sides – led by Kirk Edwards and Dimuth Karunaratne respectively – drew a series of two ‘Tests’ 0-0 before Windies ‘A’ won one of two Twenty20 matches (the other rained out) and the three-match One-day series 2-1.

MATCH SCHEDULE

Wednesday, October 11 to Saturday, October 14

1st ‘Test’ – Trelawny Multiplex, Jamaica

Thursday, October 19 to Sunday, October 22

2nd ‘Test’ – Trelawny Multiplex

Thursday, October 26 to Sunday, October 29

3rd ‘Test’ – Sabina Park, Jamaica

Wednesday, November 1

1st One-day Match – Sabina Park

Friday, November 3

2nd One-day Match – Sabina Park

Sunday, November 5

3rd One-day Match – Trelawny Multiplex

Meanwhile, the Lions, the official name of the England’s ‘A’ team, will face their regional counterparts in a series of three ‘Tests’ and three One-day matches to be played on the islands of Jamaica and Antigua.

“This series will provide an incentive for our players to excel during the next Digicel Regional 4-Day and Regional Super50 tournaments,” said CWI Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams.

“It will also give the Selection Panel a chance to identify the next tier of players they believe have the capacity to be successful on the international stage and would offer those players the platform to announce themselves through the intensity of a higher level of competition against their peers from England.”

It will be the first time in 12 years that the England Lions will be embarking on a tour of the Caribbean to face West Indies ‘A’.

On the last trip, the Lions, led by Vikram Solanki, won a series of two ‘Tests’ 1-0 against Sylvester Joseph’s side, which won the subsequent five-match One-day series 3-2.

The England Lions have also twice played in the CWI Regional 4-Day Tournament, when they reached the semi-finals of the eight-team competitions in 2001 and 2011.

MATCH SCHEDULE

Monday, February 5 to Wednesday, February 7

Tour Match – Sabina Park, Jamaica

Sunday, February 11 to Wednesday, February 14

1st ‘Test’ – Trelawny Multiplex, Jamaica

Sunday, February 18 to Wednesday, February 21

2nd ‘Test’ – Sabina Park

Monday, February 26 to Thursday, March 1

3rd ‘Test’ – Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Antigua

Sunday, March 4

Tour Match – Vivian Richards Cricket Ground

Tuesday, March 6

1st One-day Match – Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua

Friday, March 9

2nd One-day Match – Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua

Sunday, March 11

3rd One-day Match – Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua