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6 hours ago
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England’s men will face a lopsided Test schedule in the next future tours programme (FTP), with a move to stage more five-match series at home to be offset by an increase in one-off Tests overseas.
The England and Wales Cricket Board is abandoning the principle of aiming for reciprocal home and away series in the next World Test Championship (WTC), which will begin with the home Ashes series next summer. The ECB has already held talks with South Africa and Pakistan over touring for five Test matches for the first time in decades, but on the flip side England’s future tours to Sri Lanka and Bangladesh could comprise a single Test complemented by white-ball games that are more commercially viable to the host Boards.
The ECB is responding to the International Cricket Council’s plans to expand the WTC to all 12 Test playing nations, with Ireland, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan to be included for the first time in a single division.
In another significant change, one-off Test matches are set to be included in the WTC for the first time, whereas previously a two Test series was required for championship status. As a result England’s first Test match in Zimbabwe since 1996-97 is under consideration, but the ECB will not take a team to Afghanistan.
The ECB is in favour of the so-called one-Test series solution on the grounds that it would give more opportunities to smaller nations, as well as complementing their own strategy to safeguard the oldest and longest form of the game.
Internal research conducted by the ECB has shown Test cricket is the most popular format in England across all age-groups, and they want to stage more expanded series to complement those of Australia and India, who both tour for five Tests every four years.
The ECB has already offered South Africa a five-Test tour in 2032, which if successful would be repeated in 2036, with Pakistan lined up as alternative tourists should that not come off.
The ECB will not insist on full Test tours overseas, however, as there is a general acceptance that they are not viable in many markets.
Under the terms of a proposed new WTC format put together by an ICC working group, each of the 12 teams must play 12 matches against at least eight different opponents over a two-year period, with the top two in the table meeting every odd year in the WTC final, which will be at Lord’s until 2031.
Crucially, there is no requirement for each team to play everyone and each board will get considerable discretion over its fixtures, which is important for the ECB, as it will not sanction matches against Afghanistan outside global ICC events.
Richard Thompson, the ECB’s chair, accused the Taliban regime of “gender apartheid” and “appalling oppression” of women and girls before England played Afghanistan in last year’s Champions Trophy, but rejected calls from 160 cross-party MPs to withdraw from the fixture.
Similarly, India will not be required to play Pakistan in the expanded WTC despite the huge commercial benefits, unless both sides reach the final, which would take place on neutral territory.
The ICC board is due to meet to discuss the working group’s WTC proposals this month, although one meeting has already been postponed because of the conflict in the Middle East, as the world governing body is based in Dubai.
While the next FTP is due to run from 2027 to 2031, the ECB wants to finalise most of England’s schedule until 2036, to give them long-term certainty before its next broadcast rights tender, which will take place next year.
