The West Indies Rising Stars U-19 team will tour England for six Youth One-Day Internationals in September.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today announced the match schedule for the series, which will see West Indies Rising Star U-19s taking on England Under-19s at The County Ground, Beckenham, and The Polo Farm, Canterbury, from Saturday, September 4 to Friday, September 17.
Jimmy Adams, CWI’s Director of Cricket said: “The first West Indies U-19 tour to England took place in 1970, 51 years ago. Such overseas tour opportunities have always formed a vital part of the development of cricketers in the West Indies and we are delighted to partner with the ECB to make this tour a reality. We have been working with our players for most of the year and this opportunity to experience foreign conditions will be a critical part of their career path.
“We have a talented group of 56 young men presently in Antigua preparing for some ‘trial matches’ from which 18 players will be selected for the Rising Stars U-19 tour to England. This is all part of our preparations for the ICC U-19 World Cup early next year and we want to ensure that we have a well prepared squad when we host the tournament for the first time in the West Indies.”
ECB Performance Director, Mo Bobat, said: “With no international U-19 cricket having been played for well over a year now, we’re really looking forward to our U-19 men’s team getting back to action, in what should be an exciting and competitive series against West Indies. The opportunity for our best young players to test themselves against their international peers is a key foundation of their development and an important contributor to future international success. We’re also looking ahead to the next U-19 World Cup which is due to be held in early 2022 and so it’s important that we can start building towards that event.”
The Rising Stars U-19 Tour is a key component of CWI’s investment in developing the next generation of international West Indies Men’s cricketers. Following the tour, CWI will also be investing in further development camps and international matches before the World Cup.
This will help prepare for the ICC U-19 World Cup in 2022 and then beyond to help the Rising Stars develop to compete and perform at the elite level in regional and international cricket.
FULL MATCH SCHEDULE – West Indies Rising Stars U-19 Tour of England
Saturday September 4: 1st Youth ODI – Beckenham
Monday September 6: 2nd Youth ODI– Beckenham
Wednesday September 8: 3rd Youth ODI – Beckenham
Friday September 10: 4th Youth ODI – Canterbury
Tuesday September 14: 5th Youth ODI – Canterbury
Friday September 17: 6th Youth ODI – Canterbury
