ICC Releases New FTP; Includes Test Championship and ODI League

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday announced the Latest Future Tours Programme (FTP) for a five-year period from 2018-2023.

This also includes the World Test Championship and an ODI league comprising of 13 teams. The Test championship is a brand new offering by the ICC to the cricketing system.

It should also mean the teams will get judged by their performances both home and away.

Nine top teams will play three home and three away series over the two years cycle. The first cycle is scheduled to begin in 2019. As per reports, Lords is likely to host the final in July 2021. As per the new FTP, the ICC has kept the Ashes under the new Test championship. Australia is slated to travel to England in 2019 while the return series will be played in Australia in 2021-22.

Meanwhile, the 13 team ODI league will also include the Champions of the World Cricket League, the Netherlands alongside the 12 existing Test teams. The league permits every series to a three-match fixture. It will start in 2020 and will continue till 2022.

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However, not all matches will affect the Test Championship and the ODI League. In the year which will precede the World Cup, the ODI League won’t be played.

During this time, the teams can play three matches in a series, ex – the ongoing England Australia series as a bilateral one and won’t fall under the ODI League. The top eight teams will automatically qualify for the tournament. The other spots will get selected through World Cup Qualifiers.

ICC CEO says the new FTP has clarity,

“The agreement of this FTP means we have clarity, certainty and most importantly context around bilateral cricket over the next five years. 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,” ICC Chief Executive David Richardson was quoted as saying.

“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,” Richardson further added.

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