Best-of-three T20 series for the cup
THE Inter-Insular will be decided over a best-of-three T20 series this summer.
In what is anticipated to be a one-off agreement purely for 2018, the Guernsey and Jersey cricket boards have opted to change from the traditional 50-over inter-insular format due to the timing of the ICC World T20 Europe Qualifiers and an already busy domestic schedule.
With both islands involved in the ICC tournament in the Netherlands from 27 August until 4 September, the boards looked at various options to provide warm-up matches while also aware of having a PraxisIFM CI League programme to fit in.
They agreed upon the best-of-three series taking place on Friday 17 August and Saturday 18 August with all three matches at the Farmers ground in Jersey.
‘It was always going to be tricky fitting in the club and representative fixtures this year and we did not want to cut anything short by favouring one over the other,’ said Mark Latter, the GCB director of cricket.
‘This solution is a great compromise and allows us to do everything.
‘The Inter Insular Trophy is steeped in history and we respect that and look forward to returning to the 50 overs format here in Guernsey in 2019.’
The inter-insular clashes began in 1950 and up until 1977 they were played as a timed game before the switch to a limited-overs format came in 1978.
For this year’s best-of-three series, both islands will name 14-man squads with any XI from those 14 permitted to play each game.
If necessary, a super over will be used in the final game should it finish in a tie with the other two games having been shared.
Participation in the series will entitle a player to one inter-insular – not two or three even if they play in that many of the games.
Neither board envisages this becoming the norm, albeit both expect the format to produce an exciting series in August. Both are committed to returning to the 50-over format in 2019 in Guernsey, but they will look at the T20 format as being able to offer an extra inter-insular clash from next year.
‘This exciting development as a one-off replacement for the Inter-Insular Trophy this year will help both countries in their preparation for the important European T20 tournament later in August,’ said Chris Minty of the JCB.
‘It should produce an exciting weekend of cricket which we hope will be well supported and both countries are committed to reverting to the traditional format in 2019.’
