TRINIDAD and Tobago have been offered the chance to bid for matches in the Windies upcoming home series against England and India next year.

England are scheduled to tour the Caribbean in February/March 2019 for a series of three Test matches, five ODIs and three T20s. And, following the World Cup in England, India will embark on a tour that is to include three Tests, three ODIs and three T20s.

According to a report in the Trinidad Guardian, CWI president Dave Cameron made the offer to newly-minted Minister of Sports Shamfa Cudjoe.

“We have two very good tours next year with England and India visiting, so I have been going around the region to meet with the governments to show them the value of these games in terms of boosting their sports tourism sector,” Cameron said.

“I met with the minister, the permanent secretary in the ministry of Tourism, Vidia Ramkhelwan and Adrian Winter, as well as Jeffrey Guillen, who was representing SPORTT. I must say that we had a very productive meeting as I was able to show the benefits of staging matches here in Trinidad and the boost it could have on tourism.”

The CWI president said he has met with governments across the region about the opportunities that exist in hosting matches and what they need to deliver in terms of their bids. “We have met with Barbados, Antigua, St. Kitts, Grenada, St Lucia and Jamaica and we have already gotten some positive responses in terms of hosting the matches. We are happy that the governments are showing this great interest,” Cameron said.

TT had failed to bid for any of the matches in the upcoming ICC Women’s World Cup much to public consternation. However, Cameron said the meeting with the TT sports minister was a positive one.

”We had a very good meeting and the minister understands what’s needed. She has asked that we send her all the relevant details and we have done so. We also received an email from the ministry stating that they had received our package. I guess they will now meet to discuss the value in coming on board and will contact CWI after.”