West Indies Cricket Board Directors Meeting

The England 'A' team will challenge seven regional teams for the Busta Cup next year, and over succeeding years 'A' teams from other cricketing nations including Australia, India, and Pakistan will be invited to participate in the regional cricket championship.

The confirmation of this was given during a meeting of the Board of Directors of the West Indies Cricket Board at the Royal Antiguan Hotel on Saturday, 23rd September, 2000.

A decision on an eighth team to compete in next year's expanded tournament is to be finalised but it will be made up of some of the best young players in the region.

The WICB had made a commitment since 1998 to host England 'A' in the Caribbean between January and May next year, but the heavy cricket schedule domestically and internationally that emerged subsequent to that commitment threatened the WICB's ability to meet its obligation.

The Executive Committee therefore decided to allow England 'A' to compete in the 2001 Busta Cup and took the initiative to invite other 'A' teams to future tournaments.

The WICB is of the view that that inclusion of 'A' teams in the regional domestic tournaments should increase the competitiveness, quality and quantity of matches in these tournaments. This is desirable in order to achieve the WICB's priority objective of improving the quality of Caribbean players, thereby creating a stronger West Indies team.

The teams competing in next year's Busta Cup tournament are Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Guyana, the Windward Islands, the Leeward Islands, England 'A' and the Combined Youth Team.

Saturday's meeting also saw the appointment of Jimmy Adams as captain of the West Indies team to Australia for the 2000/2001 tour.

The WICB also accepted an invitation for an historic first tour of Zimbabwe in June/July 2001. The tour will comprise three Test matches, and a triangular One Day series which will include New Zealand as the third country.

In addition, following this tour, as part of its contribution to the development of cricket worldwide, the West Indies will tour Kenya for a three match One Day series.

The Board also decided, as part of overall development plan, to convene a Cricket Strategic Planning Meeting in October at which the plan for 2000 to 2003 will be developed.