India’s preparation for the Twenty20 World Cup in the US and the West Indies takes an unconventional turn with just one warm-up game, departing from their customary two-match routine for ICC events.
Speculation surrounds the reason behind this change, with sources suggesting the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) insisted on hosting the match in New York, the team’s base, reports Cricket Live Score.
Despite proposals from the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Cricket West Indies (CWI) for a warm-up in Florida, Indian players, weary from extensive travel and the demanding Indian Premier League (IPL), are hesitant to make additional flights for a single practice match. Warm-up matches for India hold significant commercial value, often televised for monetization opportunities. Notably, in 2015, an India-Australia warm-up match in Adelaide was broadcast in India but not in Australia. The ICC is expected to release the schedule soon, with most teams, barring Pakistan and England, set to play two warm-up games each.
England and Pakistan are engaged in a bilateral series ending on May 30, leaving them little time for warm-up matches. With the World Cup starting on June 1, warm-up games are expected around May 25-26, roughly 10-11 days from now.
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