In final stages of discussions regarding England tour: WI CEO

Antigua, May 25 (IANS) Cricket West Indies (CWI) CEO Johnny Grave revealed the board is in the final stages of discussions with England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) regarding their tour of England in July.

All cricket has been suspended since March due to coronavirus pandemic and West Indies are hoping to kickstart the sport by going ahead with their Test series behind closed doors in England.

“We are in the final stages of discussions with the ECB and they are in the final stages of finalising their plans in order to get the UK government and ECB board support,” Grave was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

“We are expecting to get a formal offer to tour England probably by the end of the month so that we can get our board’s approval and the players can potentially leave the Caribbean in early June,” he added.

West Indies are preparing to take a 25-member squad to England and are planning to leave for the country around June 8, giving the team ample time to prepare and quarantine themselves as well.

“We want four weeks before the first Test to prepare our team so we are currently planning on leaving the week starting June 8,” Grave said.

“The current plan we are working to has the three Tests starting on July 8, July 16 and July 24. As for the venues, we believe it could be the Ageas Bowl and Emirates Old Trafford, but we haven’t had that formally confirmed yet.”

England cricketers, meanwhile, have started training individually keeping the West Indies series in mind, following all guidelines put forward by the government for the safety of players and officials alike.

–IANS

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