West Indies to host India for a four-Test series

Reports suggest that the West Indies will play host to India for a series of four Test matches scheduled to be played in July later this year. This move has reportedly cleared up the issues between the WICB and the BCCI following the abandonment of the Indian tour mid-way in 2014.

Although the tour dates and venues are yet to be revealed, WICB president Dave Cameron has confirmed that the Indians will indeed make the trip to the Caribbean in July. “The official word is that the tour is on,” Cameron told Cricket Radio in Nagpur on Sunday. “We are just awaiting confirmation of the venues now. And once we have done that, we will send out a release with the dates, the venues and everything.”

The tour will clash with the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) which in turn is scheduled to begin in late June. Cameron also stated that it was unfortunate that it would be a disappointment for those players taking part in the series irrespective of their commitments in the CPL.

“Yes, it will [clash with the CPL]. The unfortunate thing is that the international calendar is packed. And the only window for this tour to come off is during that time. So, there will be a clash, but we are working with CPL to ensure there is no clash of venues so times of the matches won’t be hampered.”

Recently, just prior to the start of the World T20, the WICB issued retainer contracts to most of their players. Among these players are Marlon Samuels, Jason Holder, Kemar Roach and Darren Bravo. In another twist in the tale, the CPL, which is in its 4th season, hasn’t yet announced the venues or dates for the event. The CPL draft, however, has been completed with the first few games expected to be played in the United States.

“The [CPL] draft did not include the Test players simply because it was always anticipated it would clash with the Test series. So the players are already aware of that,” Cameron told ESPNcricinfo on Tuesday.

Finally, speaking of the relations between the BCCI and the WICB, Dave Cameron mentioned that the relationship was, and always has been in harmony.

“You know, the truth is I am not sure where the talk of bad relations with the WICB and the BCCI have come from,” Cameron said. “We have always maintained good relations. Fortunately or unfortunately, the leadership of the BCCI has changed, and as you know, Mr. Shashank Manohar is now the president, BCCI, and chairman of the ICC, and he has made some changes there as well, and we’ve been able to move forward in an efficient way.”

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