Jason Holder and Joe Root
England Cricket Board (ECB) and Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Wednesday announced the schedule for England's tour of the Caribbean in 2022. The reconfigured tour will now have five T20Is -- increased from three matches -- to be followed by three Tests -- increased from the original two Test matches.
"Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today announced the scheduled match dates for England’s next tour of the Caribbean in 2022. It represents an expanded schedule to the original International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Future Tours Programme (FTP)," read a joint statement released by both the cricket boards.
The Test series will be the first where the two teams compete for the newly commissioned “Richards-Botham Trophy,” named in honour of West Indies’ batting icon Sir Vivian Richards and England all-rounder Ian Botham. The T20I series will be the biggest Series to date between the two teams in the shortest form of the game.
"We are delighted that the ECB have agreed to increase the number of matches in their tour to the Caribbean next year.
"An England Tour to the West Indies is a special event, so by adding a third Test match and two T20Is to the original schedule it will enable more fans to watch the teams do battle and afford more of our countries the opportunity to host matches," said Johnny Grave, CWI CEO.
"We hugely appreciated the support of Cricket West Indies, and all its men’s and women’s players, in helping us host a full season of international cricket in the summer of 2020," said Ian Watmore, Chair, ECB.
"Following the conclusion of those tours to England we have been in discussions with CWI to understand how we can best support them moving forward and one way was to extend our existing England men’s tours to the Caribbean in 2022.”
The venues for the matches are expected to be announced by the end of April. Last year in July, England and West Indies had restarted international cricket amid the COVID-19 pandemic with a three-match Test series which was a part of the World Test Championship (WTC).
