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ICC unveils FTP involving Test Championship

By Agencies
June 21, 2018

DUBAI: International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Wednesday, its Future Tours Programme (FTP) for a five-year period (2018-2023) which includes the World Test Championship and a 13-team ODI league.

Test championship, the premier offering of this new FTP, will involve nine teams who would contest for the top spot playing three home and three away series over two two-year cycles, with the first cycle beginning in 2019. The final of this cycle is most likely to be held at the Lord’s in July 2021.

According to the new FTP, ICC preserved the five-match Ashes Test series under the new Test championship cycle with Australia slated to tour England in 2019 and the return series to be played in 2021-22. The 13-team ODI league will see the inclusion of the winners of the World Cricket League Championship, Netherlands, playing alongside the twelve Test playing nations. The league limits every series to a three-match fixture, beginning in 2020 and will run up to 2022.

Also, not all matches will impact the Test Championship and the ODI league. In the year preceding the 50-over World Cup, the ODI league will be suspended during which teams can play more than three matches in a series, e.g the ongoing five-match ODI series between England and Australia, as a bilateral series. The top eight teams in the league will gain automatic qualification to the main event while the other spots will be decided through the World Cup Qualifiers.

FTP Test Championship schedule: Pakistan: Oct 2019: Two home Tests against Sri Lanka

Nov-Dec 2019: Two away Tests in Australia

Jan-Feb 2020: Two home Tests against Bangladesh

Jul-Aug 2020: Three away Tests in England

Dec 2020: Two away Tests in New Zealand

Jan-Feb 2021: Two home Tests against South Africa

India: Jul-Aug 2019: Two away Tests in West Indies

Oct-Nov 2019: Three home Tests against South Africa

Nov 2019: Two home Tests against Bangladesh

Feb 2020: Two away Tests in New Zealand

December 2020: Four away Tests in Australia

Jan-Feb 2021: Five home Tests against England

South Africa: October 2019: Three away Tests in India

Dec 2019-Jan 2020 - Four home Tests against England

Jul-Aug 2020: Two away Tests in West Indies

Jan 2021: Two home Tests against Sri Lanka

Jan-Feb 2021: Two away Tests against Pakistan

Feb-Mar 2021: Three home Tests against Australia

Australia: July-Aug-Sept 2019: Five Ashes Tests away in England

Nov 2019: Two home Tests against Pakistan

Dec 2019-Jan 2020: Three home Tests against New Zealand

Feb 2020: Two away Tests against Bangladesh

Nov-December 2020: Four home Tests against India

Feb-March 2021: Three away Tests against South Africa

New Zealand: July-Aug 2019: Two away Tests in Sri Lanka

Dec 2019-Jan 2020: Three away Tests in Australia

Feb 2020: Two home Tests against India

Aug-Sept 2020: Two away Tests in Bangladesh

Nov-Dec 2020: Three home Tests against Windies

Dec 2020: Two home Tests against Pakistan

England: July-Aug 2019: Five Ashes Tests at home against Australia

Dec 2019-Jan 2020: Four away Tests in South Africa

Mar 2020: Two away Tests in Sri Lanka

Jun-July 2020: Three home Tests against Windies

Jul-Aug 2020: Three home Tests against Pakistan

Jan-Feb 2021: Five away Tests in India

Sri Lanka: July-Aug 2019: Two home Tests against New Zealand

Oct 2019: Two away Tests against Pakistan

Mar-Apr 2020: Two home Tests against England

Jul-Aug 2020: Three home Tests against Bangladesh

Jan 2021: Two away Tests in South Africa

Feb-Mar 2021: Two away Tests in West Indies

Bangladesh: Nov 2019: Two away Tests in India

Jan-Feb 2020: Two away Tests in Pakistan

Feb 2020: Two home Tests against Australia

Jul-Aug 2020: Three away Tests in Sri Lanka

Aug-Sept 2020: Two home Tests against New Zealand

Jan-Feb 2021: Three home Tests against Windies

West Indies: July-Aug 2019: Two home Tests against India

Jun-Jul 2020: Three away Tests in England

Jul-Aug 2020: Two home Tests against South Africa

Nov-Dec 2020: Three away Tests in New Zealand

Jan-Feb 2021: Three away Tests in Bangladesh

Feb-Mar 2021: Two home Tests in Sri Lanka.