Jamaica to bid for matches in next year’s WI home series

The Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) has signalled its intention to have the island bid for matches during next year’s tours of the Caribbean by India and England.

India’s month-long trip, starting next July, will feature two Test matches, three One Day Internationals (ODIs), and five T20 Internationals, while England, who will arrive later in the summer, are slated to face the West Indies in five T20 Internationals. Jamaica is very much interested in staging matches during both tours, and JCA president Dr Donovan Bennett has already alerted the relevant authorities.

“Whenever India and England come to the Caribbean, you have to bid for the games, and there’s a cost behind getting the games. I’ve already made the government aware that these two tours are coming and that money will have to be found to bid to get the games.”

According to the JCA boss, Jamaica’s decision to bid for games in both tours should be viewed as a sound investment.

“There are three and a half million well-to-do Indians living on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, and they have not been coming to Jamaica in any significant numbers. It’s a three-hour flight from the Eastern Seaboard into Montego Bay. If the Government gets involved and it’s properly marketed, we can, in fact, have a financial windfall.”

Dr Bennett also highlighted the attractive status of the English team when they tour the Caribbean, adding that “they travel with a huge support base of 4,000 or 5,000 people (the Barmy Army), so that again is a significant opportunity for Jamaica’s tourism to get involved and make significant income”.

The JCA is now awaiting the bid documents from Cricket West Indies (CWI).

Dr Bennett, who was speaking on Wednesday’s edition of Sports Grill on FAME 95 FM, said he has already had discussions with officials at CWI about the possibilities. The bid documents are expected to be ready in another month, and according to Dr Bennett, “as soon as the documents are out, I think we have to stake our claim to see what we can do and what we can get because this is a huge opportunity not just for cricket but also tourism”.

India last toured the West Indies in 2023, and England’s most recent visit to the Caribbean came in 2024.