Like last year, this year also the Indian team is scheduled to play several Twenty20 International matches against the West Indies at the Central Broward Park & Broward County Stadium in Lauderhill, Florida.
The two games are scheduled as additional matches to the originally planned eight-match series of the ICC-sanctioned Future Tours Program (FTP). Two Tests, three ODIs and five Twenty20 Internationals will be played in July-August.
A CWI member contacted Cricbuzz on Wednesday (April 5) and confirmed the Florida schedule.
“That is the plan. Unless there is an unavoidable situation, the two extra games will be played in Florida, like last year.”
The official had also said that the CWI will completely manage the matches without any minimal role from USA Cricket, the governing body of cricket in the United States.
“No to USAC. The CWI is the event host with special commercial relations and arrangements for local operations at the Broward Stadium. This is very similar to how the 2024 World Cup will operate for the US matches.”
Last year too, they were almost derailed by visa issues, and a last-minute direct intervention by the President of Guyana averted the looming crisis at the time. Those two matches were held on August 6 and 7 last year.
However, further commenting, the CWI official told Cricbuzz that he hopes that there will be no need for such a last-minute rush this time.
“The visa appointments in Trinidad were messed up beyond our control and, at great cost and inconvenience for all concerned, we had to rearrange to fly those without visas to Guyana, in between the St Kitts and Florida matches. It also included some West Indians.”