The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the men’s and women’s Future Tours Programme (FTP) for the period 2023-2027 and 2022-2025, respectively.
The FTP summarises the international cricket calendar, which includes ICC events and bilateral series. The men’s cricket will witness 777 international matches – 173 Tests, 281 ODIs and 323 T20Is – which will be a part of ICC events as well as bilateral and tri-nation series. Similarly, 301 international women’s games will be played during the period, which features seven Tests, 135 ODIs and 159 T20Is.
In the aforementioned period (men’s), Bangladesh will play the most bilateral international games (150), followed by West Indies (147), England (142), India (141), New Zealand (135), Australia (132), Sri Lanka (131), Pakistan (130), Afghanistan (123), South Africa (113), Ireland (110) and Zimbabwe (109).
Women’s cricket will see 10 teams – Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the West Indies – competing and playing eight bilateral ODI series, which will be part of the 2022-25 ICC Women’s Championships, in order to decide qualification for the next 50-over Women’s World Cup scheduled to be held in India.
When it comes to the longest format in Women’s cricket, England will play five Tests in the period, while Australia will play four. Similarly, South Africa will play three Tests, and India will feature in two games.
In the men’s category, England will play the most Test matches (43), followed by Australia (40), India (38), Bangladesh (34), New Zealand (32), South Africa (28), Pakistan (27), West Indies (26), Sri Lanka (25), Afghanistan (21), Zimbabwe (20), Ireland (12).
“I’d like to thank our Members for the effort that has gone into creating this FTP for the next four years. We are incredibly lucky to have three vibrant formats of the game, with an outstanding programme of ICC global events and strong bilateral and domestic cricket and this FTP is designed to allow all cricket to flourish,” said ICC General Manager of Cricket Wasim Khan in a statement.
“This is a huge moment for the women’s game. This FTP not only lends certainty to future cricket tours but also sets the base for a structure that is sure to grow in the coming years,” he added.
