CALIFORNIA, USA (CMC) — The United States’ Women’s Under-19 team will travel to the Caribbean to play their first international tour with a four-match Twenty20 (T20) series later this month, USA Cricket has announced.

USA Cricket said in a release that in partnership with both the Windward Islands Cricket Board (WICB) and the St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Cricket Association, the tour is part of the wider long-term strategic partnership that it has with Cricket West Indies (CWI).

WICB President Dr Kishore Shallow said the tour represents a shared vision of both USA Cricket and WICB to offer more development opportunities for female cricketers.

“We are grateful for the initiative and cooperation of USA Cricket to execute what I anticipate to be a fantastic series of competitive cricket,” he said.

USA Cricket Board member and Women and Girls Committee chair Nadia Gruny said the T20 series would be mutually beneficial to the competing teams.

“This tour will present a fantastic opportunity for some of the young talent who have stood out on our new domestic pathway this year to get international exposure and a competitive level of cricket in the Caribbean,” she added.

The selected Under-19 squad does not include several of the players who participated in the abandoned ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe.

The matches will be played on January 24, 25, 27 and 28.