The West Indies’ plans for their first international tour since the 1997 Women’s World Cup were shelved during November. The West Indies Women’s Cricket Federation cancelled its tour of Sri Lanka, scheduled for January, and abandoned tentative plans for a visit to Pakistan immediately afterwards.
The war in Afghanistan, and broader concerns about security in Sri Lanka and globally, were given as the reasons for the cancellation of the tour. Pakistan have since agreed to play the tour dates in Sri Lanka vacated by the West Indians.
Meanwhile, plans are afoot to bring all three teams – West Indies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – together for a triangular series in the Caribbean in 2002. The West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) website reported recently that WIWCF treasurer Jocelyn Opadeyi had said that Pakistan had been invited to play five one-day internationals in the West Indies along with three Test matches. The Tests would, according to Opadeyi, be played in Trinidad & Tobago and St Vincent & The Grenadines.
If the Sri Lankans accept their invitation, it is likely that a triangular one-day series will be held in about March.
West Indian women’s cricket has been in the doldrums at an international level for many years due to the lack of financial support. They have not played in any full international competition since the 1997 World Cup in India, having failed to qualify for the 2000 tournament in New Zealand. They last played Test cricket in 1979, in England, while only two women’s Tests have ever been hosted in the Caribbean – both against Australia in Jamaica in 1976.
