ICC Test Championship: Who Plays Whom In The Inaugural Championship

The International Cricket Council, on Wednesday, announced the Future Tour Programme featuring the much-anticipated ICC Test championship.

The nine top-ranked Test nations will fight it out for the Test Championship over two two-year cycles starting in June 2019. There will be a six-series league phase before the top sides contest the final. The final of the championship will be held on April 30, 2021. During the two year period, the teams sides will play six bilateral series (3 home, 3 away) against opponents of their choice.

According to the new FTP, ICC preserved the five-match Ashes Test series under the new Test championship. India are the only side outside the Ashes rivalry to feature in five-Test series in the next FTP cycle. They will play England twice over the next four years.

“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 said.

“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 added.

Here’s how the Test Championship schedule of each of the nine teams looks like: