Full series still on schedule, assures Grave

Cricket West Indies CEO, Johnny Grave.
Cricket West Indies CEO, Johnny Grave.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – Cricket West Indies chief executive, Johnny Grave, says no decision has been taken to reduce matches for Sri Lanka’s three-Test tour of the Caribbean.

Media reports on Saturday said with CWI experienced a cash crunch, a Test was likely to be sacrificed in favour of a couple of One-Day Internationals, which would be more profitable.

“At this stage though, full tours for Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are still on,” the Nation newspaper here quoted Grave as saying.

“With England and India coming for international home series next year, we anticipate better fortunes.”

West Indies and Sri Lanka are set to lock horns from June 6-27, with Tests carded for Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad, the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia and Kensington Oval in Barbados.

However, Sri Lanka Cricket chief executive Ashley de Silva said he had been in communication with the CWI, and a Test was likely to be scrapped because of the host board’s financial challenges.

Neither the Sri Lanka nor Bangladesh tour will be financially viable for CWI, with the cost of staging the games outweighing anticipated revenue.

Grave said CWI had been already bracing for financial losses with the two low-profile tours on the schedule.

“We will lose a significant amount hosting Sri Lanka and Bangladesh,” the Englishman indicated.

“We knew 2018 would be a tough financial year and the back to back surpluses over the last three years would never be enough to take us through this year.”

Sri Lanka are set to leave on Friday for the Caribbean where they open their tour with a three-day warm-up match at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad.

Bangladesh are scheduled to follow the Sri Lankans and will play two Tests, three ODIs and three Twenty20 Internationals from July 4 to August 5.

The two last T20Is have been carded for the Central Broward Regional Park in Fort Lauderdale, United States.