Nine top-ranked teams to contest in World Test Championship from 15th July 2019 to 30th April 2021

[Arham_PakFan]

A new ODI Qualification League and World Test Championship; a Boxing Day Test at Melbourne, and a bumper 2019-20 summer with visits from Australia, England, and India – these are just some of the highlights of NZC’s Future Tours Programme (FTP), confirmed today by the International Cricket Council.

The FTP, covering all men’s international cricket from 2018 to 2023, is the first to incorporate the new ODI and Test structures; the former providing automatic ICC World Cup qualification for the top eight-ranked sides, the latter culminating in the inaugural World Test Championship final in England, in June 2021.

Under the new system, the BLACKCAPS’ first involvement in the World Test Championship (WTC) will start in Sri Lanka in August next year.

They will then play two home Tests against England, after which they will cross the Tasman for a much-awaited three-Test series in Australia, including New Zealand’s first Boxing Day Test in Melbourne since 1987.

The BLACKCAPS’ 2019-20 summer programme will also include two home Tests against the current No.1 seeds, India, and a home T20 series against Australia.

The ICC today released the full FTP for the period 2018-2023, including the format and point allocation system for the World Test Championship and the ODI qualifying league.

Nine top-ranked sides will participate in the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship, which will run from 15 July 2019 to 30 April 2021.

The sides will play six series in the two-year cycle on a home and away basis against opponents they have mutually selected. The two top-ranked sides will then progress to the June 2021 final to decide the World Test champions.

In addition, the 12 Test playing nations and the Netherlands, will participate in the 13-team ODI League, which will run from 1 May 2020 to 31 March 2022 and all the sides will play eight series over a two-year cycle on a home and away basis against mutually agreed opponents.

As has been the norm in previous FTPs, the BLACKCAPS have tailored their schedule to match the requirements of the several ICC Tournaments on the roster: the ICC Cricket World Cups (50 overs) in 2019 and 2023, and the ICC World T20s in 2020 and 2021.

NZC chief executive David White said under the new arrangements, cricket fans in New Zealand could look forward to a strong mix of international content at home, as well as greater interest in Tests and ODIs not involving the BLACKCAPS.

“By bringing more relevance and context into Test and ODI cricket we can farewell what used to be known as neutral games, and introduce interest into every fixture, no matter which side is playing,” he said.

“In a rapidly-evolving world, this will help increase engagement in cricket and grow the game both locally and globally.”

Mr White said he was pleased with the BLACKCAPS’ upcoming international programme in terms of the variety and quality on offer.

“There are a number of highlights there, with all the marquee teams visiting and some eagerly awaited contests looming – not least those 2019-20 Tests against England, Australia and India.”

BLACKCAPS captain Kane Williamson said the new FTP represented a solid move in the right direction for world cricket and was packed full of content over all three formats.

“It’s exciting for fans and players to see the new context which is being given to ODI and Test cricket,” said Williamson.

“There’s a lot to look forward to, but it’s hard to go past the three match Test series in Australia next year as a highlight. I think all New Zealanders will have a circle around that one."

The BLACKCAPS will play Pakistan away in October-November of this year before returning home to host visits from Sri Lanka, India, and Bangladesh.

NZC will release the full schedule for that home summer, including dates and venues, in the near future.

https://umbraco.nzc.nz/news-items/nzc-releases-future-tours-programme

 

[AssassinatedDevil]

Australia's new schedule features Afghanistan Test

Afghanistan will play an historic Test match on Australian soil in 2020, and New Zealand are set to return to the MCG on Boxing Day for the first time in more than 30 years under details of the ICC's extended Future Tours Program released today.

The document, which enshrines the new concepts of a nine-team Test Championship and a One-Day League structure that will cap the number of 50-over internationals played in between World Cups, also marks a more stringent involvement in scheduling by the game's governing body.

In its initial phase that begins with Australia's Ashes campaign in the UK in July next year, the Test Championship won't include trouble-plagued Zimbabwe or recently elevated nations Ireland and Afghanistan.

But the remaining nine nations will accrue points under a yet-to-be-finalised methodology from each Test they play until mid-2021, when the two top-ranked teams will play-off for the Championship title at a venue to be decided.

Most likely to be Lord's in London, with the first final expected to be held around July 2021.

The FTP covers scheduling for the next five-year playing cycle through until 2023, with nations in the Test Championship contesting six series (home and away) within each two-year period, while the ODI League will see teams play eight three-match series in its initial competition from 2020-22.

As foreshadowed, the introduction of a 13-team league table for ODI cricket will restrict all ODI series during the qualifying period to three-match events.

With the prize for the top eight-ranked nations at completion of that cycle being automatic qualification for the quadrennial ICC World Cup.

The only opportunity for nations to host longer ODI series, such as Australia’s current five-match Qantas Tour of England, will be on a bilateral basis during the year immediately prior to each World Cup, when the League competition will be suspended.

And the remaining World Cup qualifiers will be decided.

The major talking points for Australia from the ICC's men’s cricket FTP schedule are:

* Afghanistan to play one Test in Australia prior to India’s four-Test tour in the summer of 2020-21

* New Zealand to play Tests in Australia over the Christmas-New Year period of 2019-20, meaning their first Boxing Day Test appearance in Melbourne since 1987

* Five-Test Ashes series to be preserved under the new Championship structure, with Australia to tour the UK in 2019 and England to reciprocate in 2021-22

* Reshaping of the international summer in Australia to feature a maximum of five Test matches and six ODIs per season under the new Test Championship/ODI League Table guidelines

* Australia to return to South Africa in February-March 2020, for first Tests against the Proteas since the seismic events in Durban, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town earlier this year

* South Africa scheduled for Test tour to Australia in 2022-23 when they will feature in Boxing Day-New Year Test window for first time since 2008

* Australia to play Tests in Bangladesh in February 2020, and will also host Tests against Pakistan in the first part of the 2019-20 home summer

* The next Test tour for Australia to India will not be until October-November 2022

* Australia have no Test cricket scheduled between the conclusion of the home summer in January 2020 and the next Australian season starting in November that year

Cricket Australia Chief Executive James Sutherland confirmed today that while the ICC will exercise stricter oversight on the scheduling of Test series as part of the Championship proposal, nations will retain the right to decide how long those series will run and where individual Tests will be held.

That means the marquee five-Test Ashes series in Australia and England would be retained within each four-year cycle.

"For both Test cricket and one-day cricket going forward, we won’t have a choice about who we play – that will be determined by the cycle and will be done by the ICC," Sutherland said.

"Notwithstanding that, we obviously want - and the ICC understands the importance of – the regular cycle of Ashes cricket."

The FTP confirms that Australia will retain the right to host their flagship Boxing Day Test for at least the next five years.

But the fixturing of two southern hemisphere nations – New Zealand and South Africa – may lead to pressure for Australia to make a reciprocal tour over the Christmas-New Year period down the track, an issue that led the Proteas to boycott Boxing Day in Australia for the past decade.

A system for deciding an equitable points distribution, made more complex by the disparity in the number of Tests each of the nine competing teams will play over the Championship qualifying period, will be discussed at the ICC's major meeting in Dublin later this month.

However, it seems likely the biennial final – to be scheduled in the period following the Indian Premier League – will be scheduled for England in the short-term, given that a majority of Test-playing nations face scheduling conflicts at the height of the southern hemisphere summer.

Sutherland said that as the concept of the Test Championship final evolved, he hoped the biennial showpiece might be shared around and potentially be hosted by the team that finishes atop the rankings come the end of the qualifying period.

"Being a new concept and the Test match play-off being a one-off (standalone game), we've agreed that the best timing for the Championship play-off in the first instance is going to be in that July period," he said.

"But we would like the idea – particularly if Australia was to qualify for the final – to host that match in Australia.

"In the short term, certainly over the first two years of the cycle, the likelihood is that the championship final match will be played in the northern hemisphere, in the UK most likely.

"Down the track however, the member countries all like the idea of being able to host it if we could, but the complexity of the program makes that challenging.

"It gets much more difficult in our (southern hemisphere) summer than during the northern summer when typically, in July of any given year, it’s likely that there's only two countries playing Test cricket – England and whoever else they're playing.

"Whereas if you said you were going to play that final in November in the southern hemisphere or the Asian market, it would be very difficult to schedule because it's possible that eight or even 10 full-member countries are playing at that time and already have matches scheduled."

The complexities of re-drawing the ODI landscape to ensure that the 13 top competing nations (currently the 12 Test teams plus the Netherlands) play an equivalent number of matches home and away over the qualifying period are even more pronounced.

As a result, and given the proximity of next year's ICC World Cup in the UK, the first iteration of the ODI League will begin from May 1 2020 and be played out over two years, then after the 2023 World Cup it will adopt its proposed three-year cycle.

Australia's first playing engagement under the ODI League Championship will be on home soil, against Zimbabwe, in June 2020.

The ICC will decide the draw for ODI matches within each qualifying period, with the scheduling based on current global ranking status in an attempt to ensure nations aren't fixtured to play only high or low-ranked opponents.

In addition to recognition and financial incentives, the prize for teams that finish in the top eight of the League ladder will be automatic qualification for the World Cup, which the ICC recently changed to a 10-team competition.

"The top seven teams (plus the host nation) will automatically qualify for the next World Cup, and the five teams that don't automatically qualify will go into a type of repechage qualifying event," Sutherland said.

"Those top eight teams that earn direct qualification can then fixture their own bilateral one-day cricket in the year prior each World Cup, as part of their preparations.

"So the only possibility of an ODI series of less or more than three matches would be in that fourth year of the cycle leading into a World Cup, when those who have automatically qualified can play their own bilateral cricket."

The scheduling of T20 International matches will remain the domain of individual boards through bilateral or multi-team arrangements, although Sutherland indicated CA's preference will be to schedule those more strategically as lead-in fixtures to the biennial ICC World T20 tournament.

The next one of which will be held in Australia in 2020 – during February-March for the women’s tournament, and October-November for men’s competition.

As a consequence, the make-up of international fixtures for the next few Australia summers is likely to see five Tests, two ODI series of three matches each, and a pair of T20I games.

https://www.cricket.com.au/news/icc...et-ftp-australia-afghanistan-india/2018-06-20

 

[Markhor]

Can't wait, this is long overdue. It's not a perfect league where everyone plays a standardised number of matches but at least there's now a tangible prize to play for in Test cricket instead of endless bilateral series.

Hopefully the points system will ensure a team wins the same number of points for a series win regardless if series length.

 

[UN talkz]

CRICKET SOUTH AFRICA (CSA) has welcomed the release today by the International Cricket Council (ICC) of the Future Tours Programme (FTP) for the five-year period from 2018 to 2023.

The FTP provides clarity and certainty around all bilateral international fixtures and incorporates all three formats of the game. It focuses on bringing more context to bilateral cricket. A World Test Championship has been created along with a 13-team men’s ODI league that will act as a qualification pathway for the ICC Cricket World Cup.

“The introduction of the World Test Championship and an ODI league will give these formats the much-needed context to ensure their long-term viability along with the popular T20 format,” commented CSA Acting Chief Executive Thabang Moroe.

“The Championship and the league have been designed in a manner that is easy for all stakeholders, especially the fans, to follow as it leads up to a World Test Championship final and qualification for the ICC Cricket World Cup which makes all International matches important.

“We look forward to following the progress of our Proteas in both these competitions and to the enhanced products that we will be able to offer to our fans, our commercial partners and our players during our various bilateral tours. It is truly a win-win situation for all.”

Nine top-ranked sides will participate in the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship, which will run from 15 July 2019 to 30 April 2021. The sides will play six series in the two-year cycle on a home and away basis against opponents they have mutually selected. The two top-ranked sides will then progress to the June 2021 final to decide the World Test champions.

In addition, the 12 Test playing nations and the Netherlands, will participate in the 13-team ODI League, which will run from 1 May 2020 to 31 March 2022 and all the sides will play eight series over a two-year cycle on a home and away basis against mutually agreed opponents.

South Africa’s opening series in the World Test Championship is against India in India in October 2019, while their first ODI series in the league is against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka in June 2020.

This league will serve as a qualification pathway for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. India (as host) plus the seven highest-ranked sides in the ODI league as on 31 March 2022 will qualify directly for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, while the bottom five sides will get a second chance to qualify through the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier.

 

[MenInG]

The men’s Future Tours Programme released by the International Cricket Council on Wednesday 20 June has provided the details on the inaugural ICC World Test Championship.

The tournament, instated with the aim of bringing more context to bilateral Test cricket, will be played from July 15 2019 to April 30 2021.

The nine top-ranked sides in the world will compete in the tournament, with each side playing six series on a home-and-away basis against mutually selected opponents in the two-year cycle.

The top two sides will then contest in the ICC World Test Championship final in June 2021.

Sunil Gavaskar and Graeme Pollock present Indian captain Virat Kohli the ICC Test Mace Sunil Gavaskar and Graeme Pollock present Indian captain Virat Kohli the ICC Test Mace

The tournament will begin soon after the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, with the Ashes in England set to kickstart the event. “Together with other member countries we are confident that this will grow interest in the international game – and our team is very much looking forward to launching the World Test Championship with our 2019 Ashes series in England,” said James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia Chief Executive.

Even as the Ashes mark the tournament’s launch, the Windies are set to tour India, and New Zealand host Sri Lanka, both in July, making for a hectic start to the new tournament.

The final league game will be played in April 2021, with the Windies set to travel to Sri Lanka for a two-Test series.

The ICC has for long attempted to add context to bilateral cricket, and David Richardson, the chief executive, said the creation of the championship – along with a 13-team one-day international league that will act as a qualification pathway to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 – will do just that.

The World Test Championship will commence with the Ashes in England The World Test Championship will commence with the Ashes in England

“The agreement of this FTP means we have clarity, certainty, and most importantly context around bilateral cricket over the next five years,” he said. “The World Test Championship will get underway next year with the ODI league kicking off in 2020 as part of the qualification towards the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

“Bringing context to bilateral cricket is not a new challenge, but with the release of this FTP, our Members have found a genuine solution that gives fans around the world the chance to engage regularly with international cricket that has meaning and the possibility of a global title at the end.”

The World Test Championship was lauded by the heads of ICC member countries.

Tom Harrison, the Chief Executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, called it a step in the right direction. “As strong supporters of Test cricket, we particularly welcome the creation of the new World Test Championship,” he said. “It is a big step in the right direction and will help ensure Test cricket is more sustainable and competitive in the long-term – and help secure its unique place at the pinnacle of our international game.”

Cricket South Africa Chief Executive Thabang Moroe said it was “a win-win situation for all” and David White, the New Zealand Cricket boss, said: “By bringing more relevance and context into international cricket we can farewell what used to be known as neutral games, and introduce interest into every fixture, no matter which side is playing.”

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/742337

 

[MenInG]

FICA Responds to Release of ICC Future Tours Programme

The Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) responds to yesterday’s release of the men’s Future Tours Programme 2018 – 2023 (FTP).

“It is a positive that this FTP is structured to fit with the introduction of a nine team World Test Championship and a 13 team ODI League,” said FICA’s Executive Chairman, Tony Irish. “It is hoped that the World Test Championship and the ODI League will introduce much needed context into international cricket.”

“We think that the scheduling of the ODI League represents a significant step forward because it reflects that the global competition can only consist of three matches per series, which makes it simple for fans to follow and cuts out meaningless ODI matches. We continue however to urge the ICC to develop a clear pathway for smaller and associate countries to participate in this League.”

“The World Test Championship does not have the same degree of consistency in the scheduling and different series constitute different numbers of matches depending on who is playing, which will make any points system a challenge to follow. Whilst it’s an improvement on what currently exists, and the culmination in a Test final every two years does add context, time will tell how effective this will be as a global competition scheduled in this way.”

FICA notes that the FTP does not formally recognise domestic T20 leagues or provide for any international cricket windows. “One of the global game’s current challenges lies in the tension between the traditional international cricket landscape and the T20 leagues landscape,” said Irish. “This problem can’t be solved by simply restricting players from playing in T20 leagues and FICA will continue to oppose any attempts to unfairly regulate or to restrict players if used as a means of attempting to solve inherent imbalances in the structure of the game.”

“So whilst this FTP is definitely a step in the right direction, we are hoping that it will be viewed as a first wave of reform in the global game” concluded Irish.

 

[MenInG]

MCC’s World Cricket committee has launched a survey to garner the attitudes of fans of Test match cricket to the current state of the game and to identify key trends which could help shape the future of Test match format.

The committee, which meets at Lord’s on Monday and Tuesday next week, believes the upcoming World Test Championship is the key event in helping safeguard the future of Test cricket, with other measures recommended for the continued success of the longest form of the game.

The committee, however, also feels the public had not been consulted sufficiently as to what they would like to see from Test cricket and how to encourage future generations through the gates.

MCC’s Assistant Secretary (Cricket) John Stephenson, said, “If Test cricket is to survive and flourish as a spectator sport, it needs to adapt to what the fans want. MCC has therefore launched a survey to understand better the public's views on Test cricket.”

Results of the survey will be discussed by the World Cricket committee and shared with the ICC and National Governing Bodies.

 

[gani999]

Semi-finals for the ICC World Test Championship?

From what I know, the teams were ranked solely on the results of the bilateral tours they made, and India and NZ ended up being the top two. Should there have been a couple of semi-final games between the top four teams to decide the final contestants?

A semi-final game between India and England would have been interesting, as would another one between Australia and New Zealand. Playing the India-England game in England may have also resulted in India's elimination.

Thoughts? Sorry if this has been discussed before.

 

[Bhaijaan]

So 2 years of being #1 ranked team could be sent home by 4th ranked team based on a one off test?

Don't think that would be fair.

Going forward i don't even think we need to have a final in the first place.

Let us just hand over the mace to the team that plays best test cricket over a 2 years cycle.

I believe a WTC final undermines the #1 rank and as a fan of test cricket I am not quite cool with that.