Pakistan's Future Tour Program For 2019-2023 Cycle Announced

Since the ICC has approved a Test Championship for all the Test playing nations which will begin after the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, there has been a lot of say over the proposal, some have criticised, and some have been for the decision made by ICC. Cricket boards have also expressed their views on the decision made by the governing body. Most active cricket board on the decision has been the Pakistan Cricket Board.

The PCB had earlier said if India and Pakistan don’t play against each other in the Test Championship then there is no point of having such a proposal, many former Pakistani cricketers also backed this.

The ICC on Wednesday announced a proposed Future Tour Program for the four-year cycle from 2019 to 2023 and Pakistan will play 28 Test matches in the four years. The number of Test matches played by Pakistan is fewer than the number of Tests allocated to Bangladesh who will play 35 Tests.

However, the proposed FTP does not have a single series between India and Pakistan.

Their Test Championship campaign begins in 2019-20 when they host South Africa and then tour Australia and New Zealand. Then in 2020-21, they will host Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and tour England.

The final of the Championship is scheduled to be played in June 2021.

The second cycle of Test Championship begins in 2021-22 when Pakistan host Australia and then tour Bangladesh and West Indies for Tests. In 2022-23, Pakistan will host England and New Zealand for home series, and tour Sri Lanka for the away series to complete the second cycle of Test Championship.

The FTP will be implemented if the PCB agrees on the schedule without any changes. The proposed FTP will be presented for initial approval before the ICC’s chief executive committee in February, and once it is approved, it will be presented for final approval from the ICC board in June 2018.