The England team is set to play more five-match Test series at home during the coming summer as part of the Future Tours Program (FTP). The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is also planning to schedule a number of one-off Tests during overseas tours to balance the extended domestic calendar.
The England and Wales Cricket Board is preparing to move away from the traditional system of reciprocal home and away bilateral Test series. This major change to the schedule will begin ahead of the next expanded ICC World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, which begins with the home Ashes series next summer.
England proposed a five-Test series against Pakistan and South Africa
According to a report in The Guardian, the ECB has started preliminary discussions with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Cricket South Africa (CSA) on extended domestic tours in the future. The ECB wants to organize a five-match Test series at home, similar to its arrangements with India and Australia.
The board has proposed a five-match Test home series against South Africa in 2032 and hopes to repeat the competition during the 2036 cycle. Pakistan remains the primary backup option if South Africa’s plan does not go ahead.
Internal ECB research has reportedly revealed that Test cricket remains the most popular format across all age groups in England. The board will focus on longer domestic series to increase broadcast and commercial revenues.
ICC considering expanding WTC to all 12 Test nations
The England and Wales Cricket Board supports the proposed introduction of one-off Test series in the World Test Championship, the report said. The board believes that the revised format can create more opportunities for smaller countries and also help in the security of Test cricket.
England are expected to shorten some of the overseas tours to Asian countries like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to single-Test tours in future. Those tours may also include additional white-ball matches to help the host board generate more revenue.
The report further states that the International Cricket Council is considering expanding the World Test Championship to all 12 Test-playing nations. The proposed format would bring Ireland, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan into the same division as the traditional Test powers.
ECB maintains its stance against bilateral cricket series with Afghanistan
The report said that the International Cricket Council’s working group has drafted a revised World Test Championship format that gives teams more freedom in scheduling matches. The proposal does not require each participating country to play against all other teams.
The change is significant for the England and Wales Cricket Board, which has decided not to schedule bilateral matches against Afghanistan outside ICC events. The board had earlier cited the treatment of women by the Taliban government as the main reason behind its stance.
The next future tour schedule will run from 2027 to 2031, but the ECB wants to finalize its schedule by 2036. The board reportedly considers long-term scheduling certainty as important before launching its next major broadcast rights tender next year.
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