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| Future Tours Programme | |
|---|---|
| Name | Future Tours Programme |
| Caption | International cricket tours schedule |
| Established | 2001 |
| Administrator | International Cricket Council |
| Format | Test cricket, One Day International, Twenty20 International |
| Tournaments | Bilateral and multilateral tours |
Future Tours Programme
The Future Tours Programme is the international schedule coordinating bilateral Test cricket, One Day International, and Twenty20 International series among national teams under the auspices of the International Cricket Council. It was developed after discussions at Cricket World Cup meetings and ICC Cricket Committee sessions to regularize fixtures between full-member and associate-member boards such as Board of Control for Cricket in India, England and Wales Cricket Board, Cricket Australia, Pakistan Cricket Board, and Cricket South Africa. The programme links long-standing rivalries like The Ashes and India–Pakistan cricket rivalry with emerging contests involving Ireland cricket team, Afghanistan cricket team, and Nepal national cricket team.
The concept evolved from bilateral arrangements visible in tours such as English cricket team in Australia in 1948 and West Indies cricket team in England in 1984, and was formalized following debates at ICC Annual Conference gatherings and recommendations from the Marylebone Cricket Club and Cricket Committee panels. Early iterations addressed clashes between commitments like the Cricket World Cup and traditional series including Border–Gavaskar Trophy and Frank Worrell Trophy. Revisions after the 2007 Cricket World Cup and the 2019 Cricket World Cup reflected shifting priorities tied to the Indian Premier League, Big Bash League, and the rise of T20 franchises.
The programme maps tours across multi-year cycles agreed at ICC Board meetings by representatives from full members including Sri Lanka Cricket, Bangladesh Cricket Board, Zimbabwe Cricket, and Zimbabwe national cricket team. Scheduling balances marquee fixtures like The Ashes with obligations under bilateral agreements such as the Bilateral Series pacts and multilateral events like ICC World Test Championship and ICC World Cup Super League. Windows for domestic competitions such as Ranji Trophy and County Championship are negotiated alongside international windows used by Cricket West Indies and New Zealand Cricket. Adjustments occur through coordination with entities including Asian Cricket Council and European Cricket Council.
Participation involves full member boards—India national cricket team, Australia national cricket team, England cricket team, South Africa national cricket team, Pakistan national cricket team, and others—plus selected associate members such as Scotland national cricket team, Netherlands cricket team, United States national cricket team, and Canada national cricket team. Agreements are ratified by boards including Cricket Ireland, Zimbabwe Cricket, Bangladesh national cricket team management, and regional authorities like East Asia-Pacific Cricket. Player release and workload are coordinated with organizations such as International Cricket Council Players Association and national bodies including Cricket Australia Players Association.
The Programme has influenced the relative weight of Test cricket, One Day International, and Twenty20 International formats by institutionalizing cycles for World Test Championship fixtures and ICC Cricket World Cup qualifying matches. It affected bilateral priorities for series like the Border–Gavaskar Trophy and competitions involving Zimbabwe national cricket team versus West Indies cricket team, and shaped opportunities for emerging teams such as Afghanistan national cricket team to gain Test status. Scheduling pressures from Indian Premier League and Caribbean Premier League altered tour timing, influencing selection policies of boards like England and Wales Cricket Board and Board of Control for Cricket in India.
Prominent elements include the routinization of The Ashes, the institutional placement of the ICC World Test Championship cycles, and negotiated touring patterns such as repeated exchanges between India and Australia for the Border–Gavaskar Trophy. Reconfigurations after security concerns—illustrated by the relocation of Pakistan cricket team tours and the resumption with series hosted by Sri Lanka and United Arab Emirates national cricket team—demonstrate adaptability. The inclusion of bilateral T20Is between teams like Ireland and Scotland and expanded fixtures for Netherlands national cricket team mark notable changes.
Critics cite unequal commercial returns among boards, highlighted in disputes involving Board of Control for Cricket in India and smaller boards such as Zimbabwe Cricket and Cricket PNG, and allege fixture congestion exacerbated by tournaments like the Indian Premier League and ICC World Twenty20. Security-related controversies—evident after incidents affecting tours involving the Pakistan national cricket team—and accusations of politicized scheduling between nations such as India and Pakistan have prompted scrutiny at ICC Ethics Committee meetings. Debates over allocation of Test slots and perceived bias toward lucrative markets have featured in hearings before the ICC Board and statements from figures like former captains from England and Australia.
Reform proposals include formal integration with the ICC World Test Championship and the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League, enhanced revenue-sharing models negotiated with entities such as Marylebone Cricket Club and commercial partners, and expanded participation pathways for associate members including Uganda national cricket team and Hong Kong national cricket team. Talks at ICC Annual Conference envisage calendar resilience to pandemics, security protocols coordinated with governments like United Kingdom and India, and harmonization with franchise windows including Big Bash League and Indian Premier League to reduce conflicts.
Category:Cricket competitions