India 'A' coming (27 June 1999)

27 June 1999

India 'A' coming

Tony Cozier

India's 'A' team will tour the Caribbean later this year, from November 10 to December 13, furnishing the West Indies selectors with an ideal preview of potential players for the full series in New Zealand that immediately follows.

India's trip was finalised with officials of the Indian board during the annual International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting at Lord's last week, West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) chief executive Stephen Camacho said yesterday.

Matches would be played in Guyana, Trinidad and Grenada, Camacho said, but exact dates and venues for the two "Tests" and three one-day matches still had to be finalised. There would also be matches, one over four days, the other three, against representative teams.

The 'A' team concept, developed over the past decade, aims mainly at providing potential young Test players an early opportunity of international competition in different environments. It is also used to revive established players who have lost form and confidence.

The tour reciprocates a visit by West Indies 'A' to India last year following a series in Bangladesh. They won both four-day "Tests" and took the one-day series 2-1.

Although West Indies 'A' teams have gone to Sri Lanka, South Africa, Bangladesh and India in the past four years, only England have sent theirs to the Caribbean and that was as far back as 1992.

India's comes at an appropriate time as it will be a virtual trial for young players vying for places on the full West Indies team that leaves for New Zealand just after Christmas for two Tests and five One-Day Internationals.

Several places are open in the Test team and the selectors are likely to be guided by performances in the 'A' series as to who should fill them.

The West Indies have a busy international schedule starting with a One-Day tournament in Sharjah in late October.

That is followed by the India 'A' tour, the Test tour of New Zealand and home series from early March through to late May against either New Zealand or Zimbabwe (two Tests) and Pakistan (three Tests), along with a triangular One-Day tournament involving both.

The West Indies then tour England from late May to late August for five Tests and a triangular One-Day series that includes Zimbabwe.

Camacho said the ICC meeting decided to defer Bangladesh's application for full Test status and referred Kenya's similar bid to the cricket committee.

Earlier hopes that the next ICC international One-Day tournament - the so-called mini World Cup - would be staged at a new cricket facility at Disneyworld in Florida have been dashed.

The United States Cricket Association, an ICC affiliate, was not able to finalise arrangements and the tournament would now be staged at a venue to be determined by the ICC by August 31.

Source :: The Barbados Nation