West Indies U19 tour to England postponed due to 'scheduling clashes'

Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have agreed to postpone the planned West Indies U19 tour of England due to scheduling clashes.

"With the Windies U19 team being unavailable to tour England during the proposed window, CWI and the ECB have worked together to investigate all alternative scheduling options but unfortunately it has not been possible to find time for the tour that would work for both Boards in relation to the respective domestic tournaments and player availability," the CWI said in a statement.

The scheduled programme had included one IT20, three ODIs and two Youth Tests against England U19s, which had been set to run between August 16 to September 3.

Jimmy Adams, CWI's Director of Cricket, said: "CWI and the ECB have agreed to cancel a proposed U19 tour of the UK due to scheduling issues. The situation is an unfortunate one as we had planned for the tour to be the end of a two-year development cycle for this group of U19 players."ECB's Performance Director, Mo Bobat said it was not an easy decision to make as young players benefit greatly from these competitive matches. "Cancelling the summer programme for our U19 side is not an easy decision to take, but with it not having been possible to identify a window for the tour that works for both Boards - and in the current climate - it is certainly the most appropriate step," Bobat said.

"Our young players benefit greatly from these competitive matches against their peers from around the world, not just in preparation for the biennial U19 World Cups, but also to prepare them for the rigours of international cricket," he added.