WI could host part of SA series ahead of IPL
Cricket West Indies is hopeful of hosting at least a part of the proposed series against South Africa in early September before the players get involved in the Indian Premier League to be held in UAE. The Windies were originally scheduled to host SA for two Tests and five T20Is in July-August. However, the tournament got suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.
CWI hopeful of hosting SA for a short tour
Cricket West Indies Chief Executive Johny Grave is hopeful of a shortened tour featuring either five T20Is or the two Tests based on the official schedule of the IPL. "We hope that South Africa will be able to come here in September for either a T20-only tour or a Test-only tour at the very least," Grave told the Mason and Guests cricket show.
The issues surrounding the tour
Scheduling the tour will be pretty difficult for Cricket West Indies given the IPL is tentatively scheduled to start on September 19. Playing against SA ahead of that would create issues as the final stages of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season is slated to run from August 18 to September 10. There will be just nine days between the two global leagues.
WI cannot play Tests against SA during IPL
Grave highlighted that WI won't be able to play Tests against SA during the IPL. "We won't be able to play Test cricket against South Africa during the IPL, Cricket South Africa have made that very clear to us. They've got a commitment to their players to allow them to go and play in the IPL," Grave said.
CWI hopes to squeeze in part of the series
With the CPL finishing on September 10, Grave said he hopes that the series against SA will follow suit. "CPL finishes on September 10. We hope very much that South Africa will follow immediately after that. Whether we can get the full tour in or we're going to have to look at a split tour between the Tests and the T20s, we don't know."
