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.
The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Future Tours Programme (FTP) is ostensibly a benign scheduling framework—a five-year master calendar designed to provide clarity, context, and continuity to the fragmented ecosystem of international cricket. Yet, beneath its spreadsheet of dates and venues lies a powerful, deeply political instrument. Far from being a neutral arbiter of sporting logistics, the FTP is the primary architect of modern cricket’s structural inequities. It systematically privileges commercial viability over competitive balance, entrenches a cartel of wealthy “Big Three” nations (India, England, Australia), and accelerates the existential crisis facing Test cricket while simultaneously starving associate nations of meaningful opportunity. icc ftp
The commercial logic is undeniable: an India vs. West Indies T20I generates more broadcast revenue than a New Zealand vs. Sri Lanka Test series. However, the FTP’s sin is that it codifies this inequality. It actively encourages top boards to cancel or postpone tours to weaker nations in favor of repeat blockbuster series. The most infamous example came in 2021, when Cricket South Africa (CSA) sacrificed a Test series against Australia to launch a T20 league, only to see the FTP rejigged to ensure the lucrative "Boxing Day" Test remained at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The programme does not serve cricket; it serves the balance sheets of three boards. To understand the FTP’s current dysfunction, one must
To salvage the FTP, the ICC must abandon its role as a passive scheduler and embrace that of an active regulator. Three reforms are necessary. First, the programme must become a binding contract, not a guideline. Any board that cancels a bilateral series without extraordinary cause should face severe financial penalties and the loss of voting rights. Smaller nations like Sri Lanka and New Zealand
Includes two cycles of the ICC Men's World Test Championship , multiple World Cups, and various tri-series. 2. Strategic Objectives of the FTP
Critics often argue that the schedule and revenue models heavily favor the "Big Three"—India, England, and Australia—who typically play more matches and high-profile series.
The is the definitive blueprint for the international cricket calendar. It is a structured schedule of tours and tournaments that ensures every member nation has a clear roadmap of bilateral series and global events over a multi-year cycle.