St. Johns, Oct 1 (IANS): Cricket West Indies, will partner with the government of Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) to host two women's T10 matches ahead of the second men's semi-final and final.

The two matches - NLCB Challenge will be played on October 10 and Courts Invitational on October 12 - will feature the best women cricketers from across the Caribbean. The games will take place at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad and Tobago.

Pete Russell, the CPL COO, wants more opportunities for women cricketers in the region and is happy to take the first step. "CPL is always looking for ways to innovate and give more chances for fans to enjoy world-class cricket.

Johnny Grave, Cricket West Indies CEO, expressed hope that the initiative will inspire young women to take up the sport. "Improving the opportunities for women and girls to get involved in cricket is one of our top strategic priorities and we are delighted that the CPL and Government of Trinidad and Tobago have come together with us to ensure that women's cricket gets chance to be involved in the CPL for the first time.

"These two exhibition games will be highly competitive and will hopefully inspire more young girls in the Caribbean to get involved in our sport."