The ICC Future Tours Programme is a paradox: a document born from a desire for order that has become a tool of oligarchy. It has successfully eliminated the chaos of the 1990s, only to replace it with the sterility of a closed shop. By enshrining the commercial dominance of the Big Three, devaluing Test cricket through scheduling fragmentation, and excluding associates from meaningful competition, the FTP has turned international cricket from a global sport into a luxury brand for three nations. Until the schedule serves sporting merit rather than television rights, the future of the "Future Tours Programme" will remain one of managed decline—a spreadsheet perfectly calibrated to protect the powerful, while the game withers at the edges.

The ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP) for 2023–2027 schedules over 770 international cricket matches and establishes a dedicated two-and-a-half-month window for the Indian Premier League (IPL). This cycle focuses on bilateral fixtures and major events, including the 2025 Champions Trophy, while maintaining a significant number of ODIs. For an overview of the FTP structure, see this discussion on Reddit r/Cricket . Reddit +2 AI can make mistakes, so double-check responses Copy Creating a public link... You can now share this thread with others Good response Bad response 3 sites Countries are still incorporating fair number of ODIs in next FTP Jul 27, 2022 —

Purists argue that the FTP should protect Test cricket, the format’s ultimate crucible. In reality, the current programme administers a slow, bureaucratic death to the red-ball game outside the elite. The introduction of the World Test Championship (WTC) in 2019 was meant to inject context, but the FTP undermined it from the start. Because the FTP allows bilateral flexibility, the WTC is not a balanced league but a patchwork quilt of series of varying lengths—some two Tests, some five. A team can win the championship by defeating weaker opponents in short series while avoiding grueling five-match tours.

By mandating series between nations, the FTP ensures that smaller boards get opportunities to play against top-tier teams like India, England, and Australia.

To understand the FTP’s current dysfunction, one must appreciate its original intent. Before its introduction in 2002, international cricket was a chaotic free-for-all. Bilateral series were negotiated ad hoc, often driven by post-colonial ties or the whims of charismatic board presidents. Smaller nations like Sri Lanka and New Zealand frequently found themselves unable to secure lucrative tours, while wealthier boards cherry-picked opponents. The FTP was a noble attempt to impose rationality: a binding schedule where every Full Member would play every other over a four-year cycle, guaranteeing revenue, exposure, and a semblance of a world championship.