West Indies scramble to arrange alternative series

Although the West Indies Cricket Board's increasingly desperate attempts to stage a much-needed fund-raising one-day series has been stalled by Canada's refusal to act as hosts, it has now started planning a tournament at home in January.

West Indian officials admitted they want to host India and Sri Lanka for a tri-series in January next year ahead of the World Cup in the Caribbean in March-April.

A series between the same teams is already scheduled to be held in India in January, but Tony Howard, the West Indies team manager, hoped it would be held in the Caribbean.

"We are hoping to have it played in the West Indies, but it is not settled yet," he told the Jamaica Observer. "We are pitching for late January, about a month or so before the World Cup so that would be perfect preparation in the lead-up."

The WICB, which is estimated to be around $25 million in debt, desperately needs to arrange such series to try to alleviate its cash crisis. It has been widely reported that an agreement was reached with the India board to jointly host one-day series in return for the West Indies supporting India's World Cup bid, but both sides have denied this.