Windies T20 World Cup hopefuls set for Nepal tour
EMERGING AND fringe players will get a chance to audition for the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup 2024 when the West Indies ‘A’ Team heads to Nepal for a series of five matches in May.
It will be the first time a West Indies team has visited the south Asian country, and all the matches will be played at the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur.
“This A-team tour is another indication of the importance we are placing on A-team cricket, and a significant phase in our preparations for the T20 World Cup,” CWI director of cricket Miles Bascombe said in a news release on Monday.
“It gives us a final opportunity to see many of the contenders for a place in the squad who are not participating in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Even for those players who do not make the final World Cup squad, they will be a part of the reserve pool.
“A hallmark of the 2016 T20 World Cup campaign was the ability of reserve players to come in and have an immediate impact, so we must be ready for all eventualities. We also relish the opportunity to take the West Indies brand to Nepal for the first time, as cricket continues to grow in popularity there.”
The only time West Indies have played Nepal in an international match was a One-day International last year at the Harare Sports Club during the ICC Men’s (50 overs-aside) Cricket World Cup qualifiers, when the Caribbean side won by 101 runs.
Co-hosts West Indies have been drawn in Group C of the T20 World Cup and will face Papua New Guinea, Uganda, New Zealand, and Afghanistan, while Nepal is in Group D and will face the Netherlands, Sri Lanka, South Africa, and Bangladesh.