‘Purely financial’

WITH cricket in the Caribbean at a financial crossroads, Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) President Dr Donovan Bennett says the association’s interest in hosting India and England next year is driven purely by the need to boost its limited revenues. The West Indies will host the two international cricket powerhouses in 2027 in what could be the region’s only major international series next year. Although not announced by the respective cricket boards or the ICC, it’s been reported that reigning Twenty20 (T20) World Cup champions India will visit the Caribbean next summer for two Tests, three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and five T20s. England are scheduled to arrive next December to play the Windies in five T20s in preparation for the 2028 T20 World Cup.

Despite revealing significant financial challenges in September, Cricket West Indies (CWI) stands to earn substantial revenue from hosting India and England, with both tours expected to be more lucrative than recent series involving other Test-playing nations. West Indies player Shimron Hetmyer takes the catch to dismiss New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill during the first T20 International cricket match at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica, on August 10, 2022. (Photo: AFP) The Jamaica Observer first reported the JCA’s interest to host matches from the two tours back in June. The Observer has learnt that Cricket West Indies is looking to finalise the host territories for the India series before the end of the year. Sabina Park has been a primary venue for the West Indies over the past few years, hosting South Africa and Bangladesh in 2024, Australia in 2025 and Sri Lanka last summer. Bennett told the Observer that the JCA formally expressed their interest and revealed that it’s eyeing the T20 encounters with the highly…