The Irish cricket team arrived in Jamaica over the weekend ahead of its first match against Jamaica in the inaugural Jamaica Cricket Festival.

Taking place at three locations across the island from April 3rd to April 17th, the tournament – sponsored by Irish-owned mobile phone operator, Digicel – comprises one three-day match, two ODIs, six Twenty20 matches and one 50-over match over the two-week period. It will feature West Indies, Ireland, Canada and Jamaica.

This marks the beginning of a two-month tour of the Caribbean for the Irish cricketers, who will use the tournament as preparation for the ICC World Twenty20 Tournament which kicks off on April 30th. The last time the Irish cricket team visited the Caribbean was for the ICC World Cup in 2007, when they tied with Zimbabwe and beat Pakistan in the opening round, before qualifying for the Super 8s and recording a massive 74-run victory against the 9th ranked team in the world and Test playing nation, Bangladesh.

Digicel-sponsored Irish cricketer, Trent Johnston, said on arrival in Jamaica: “We’re delighted to be back in Jamaica and everyone is really looking forward to this tournament. I’d like to thank Digicel for coming on board to support the Jamaica Cricket Festival. It’s a great opportunity for us to practice and acclimatise before the ICC World Twenty20 kicks off at the end of the month.”

Digicel Jamaica’s Head of Marketing, Donovan White, commented: “We are delighted to once again be lending our support to an important cricket tournament which will help the development of cricket in the Caribbean. Gaining valuable international match experience through the different forms of the game such as Twenty20, ODIs and 50-over matches is important for the players and we are delighted to be welcoming Ireland to Jamaica for what I’m sure will be an exciting tournament.”

Digicel is the proud sponsor of cricket in the Caribbean, having sponsored the West Indies cricket team since 2005. In addition, Digicel is heavily involved in cricket at a community level across the region through various initiatives such as the Digicel Cricket Coaching Clinics and through the support of numerous youth cricket clubs.