Future Tours Programme

Feast and Famine

    Future Tours Programme – Feast and Famine.  

    The recently concluded meeting between the ICC executive and Member Nations to conclude the Future Tours Programme concluded with both the ICC Chairman and Chief Executive leaving the onus on each individual board to work together in order to fit in their bilateral obligations to each other and the World Test Championship.

    The excellently conceived World Cup Super League has now been made redundant following the expansion of the World Cup to 14 teams in 2027 so the only bilateral fixtures which Member Nations are committed to are the World Test Championship. As confirmed here weeks ago, every series scheduled between the ‘small seven’ Test nations is limited to two Tests.

    India play 38 Tests in the next four years, 20 of which are against England and Australia. England and Australia, of course, play five Tests against each other every two years.

    "The fact is that we have a limited amount of time in the calendar," said ICC chairman Greg Barclay, with Olympic sized under-statement. "There's 365 days in a year, there's more cricket being played through ICC events, through bilateral cricket, a proliferation of T20 leagues, so there is a lot of pressure on that calendar.

    "It is an issue for members to work their way through. There's a lot of cricket to fit in and it's simply not all going to fit. It's not an issue so much for this organisation, but certainly for members to try and work their way through optimum outcomes is going to be a challenge.

    "What they also need to take into account is that the players themselves will simply not be able to sustain the amount of cricket they're probably going to be expected to play so that's going to force some changes as well,” said Barclay with more than a sense of foreboding.

    Geoff Allardice, the chief executive, confirmed that he and the rest of the executive have no control over proceedings. They merely administer the requirements and implement the orders of a private members club.

    "One of the things about the three formats, and the way they are incorporated in the FTP, is that members and fans in their countries have slightly different preferences for formats. At this stage countries are still scheduling a healthy number of ODIs in their FTPs so you won't see significant changes to the number, or proportion being played,” Allardice said.

    The next four years will see some extraordinary scheduling for South Africa. They will be as absurdly busy overseas as they will be quiet at home. The demand for the Proteas to tour overseas is in direct, inverse proportion to the desire and ability for teams to tour South Africa in prime season.

    The draft FTP in 2025, for example, sees the Proteas on the road for almost six straight months with two Tests and four T20Is in the West Indies in July, three ODIs and T20Is in Australia in August, three more of both formats in England in September and two WTC Tests and six more white-ball games in Pakistan a month later in October and November. Just days after that they are scheduled to travel to India for two more WTC Tests with three ODIs and five T20Is.

    The establishment of South Africa’s new domestic T20 league (surely it must be named soon?) has resulted in a potentially catastrophic loss of touring options during the summer with January and February largely taken up. Although there remains room for manoeuvre in the months and years to come, South Africa currently has just two Tests scheduled for its home seasons in 2024, 2025 and 2026 with Sri Lanka, Pakistan and West Indies ‘filling’ the festive season.

    After three years of an international fixture drought in South Africa the end of the 2026-27 season suddenly becomes flooded with seven Tests and nine ODIs against Australia, Bangladesh and England with another three T20Is against England crammed in before the new league starts again in mid January. Straight after the Proteas play another two WTC fixtures in Sri Lanka.  

    There is another window in the Proteas’ schedule which has been kept open and features in the FTP. Nobody would have dreamt it possible a couple of years ago but it is there, in black and white. From mid-June to mid-July next year: “CWC Qualifier, Harare.” Temba Bavuma’s team will cross the Limpopo to join the likes of Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands, the UAE, hosts Zimbabwe and quite probably the West Indies for one of two places at the World Cup proper three months later.

    Ten teams will be divided into two groups playing four games each. The two finalists will qualify. They may be four of the most important ODIs South Africa will ever play. Or even the most important. There will be nerves but tentative cricket could result in the slip-up which would cost the game far more than mere money.