England to visit Barbados, Antigua and Grenada on split 2022 West Indies tour

England will visit Barbados, Antigua and Grenada on their split 2022 tour of the West Indies and will be joined by travelling fans – provided they are fully vaccinated.

The five-match white-ball Twenty20 series between the sides will take place at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown over the course of nine days between January 22-30, with a Test leg running throughout March.

The red-ball series will be played for the Richards-Botham Trophy for the first time, with the old Wisden Trophy having been retired following England’s victory on home soil last summer.

The games will take place in Antigua, Barbados and Grenada and are likely to be a huge draw to visiting supporters.

Caribbean tours always sell well and are hugely lucrative to the respective islands, but the scarcity of overseas trips since the onset of the pandemic, including this winter’s Ashes in Australia, means there is certain to be massive interest. Proof of completed vaccination will be an entry requirement.

The 20-over series is the longest to date between the two sides, who open their T20 World Cup Super 12 campaign against each other in Dubai later this month.

Johnny Grave, chief executive of Cricket West Indies, said: “A West Indies vs England home Test Series is the biggest sporting and sports tourism event in the Caribbean. Dating back to 1930 when the first England team visited, these fixtures are steeped in history and a new chapter in this great rivalry will be written, this time with the prize of the new Richards-Botham Trophy.

“Celebrating these two heroes of cricket and lifelong friends with the new trophy, staging world-class cricket and hosting thousands of England fans will be a welcome boost for cricket and for the whole region.

“We are all really looking forward to welcoming fully vaccinated England fans who can not only enjoy some winter sun and Caribbean hospitality but also some world-class cricket with both these England Tours.”

England 2022 tour of the West Indies:

Jan 22: 1st T20I, Barbados
Jan 23: 2nd T20I, Barbados
Jan 26: 3rd T20I, Barbados
Jan 29: 4th T20I, Barbados
Jan 30: 5th T20I, Barbados

Mar 1-4: Warm-up, Antigua
Mar 8-12: 1st Test Antigua
Mar 16-20: 2nd Test, Barbados
Mar 24-28: 3rd Test, Grenada