The ICC workshop in Singapore on December 7 and 8 attended by the Full members have come out with the updated version for the Future Tours Program (FTP). The schedule can undergo further changes (if required) before the final version is submitted in Feb 2018 at ICC Board Meeting.
Once submitted and approved at the ICC Board meeting, the FTP will go for voting in the ICC Annual General meeting in June 2018.
New Test entrants, Afghanistan and Ireland get to play a total of 30 Test matches with Ireland getting 16 of them and Afghanistan 14. The updated FTP also sees 74 limited overs Internationals (41 ODI’s and 33 T20I’s) accumulating to 144 days of International cricket for Afghanistan between May 2019 until May 2023.
Ireland, however, will play 93 limited overs Internationals (49 ODI’s and 44 T20I’s) accumulating to 173 days of International cricket in the same time period from 2019-2023.
The FTP though, do not cover the Asia Cup tournaments and obligatory ICC tournaments. The FTP cycle is built around the ICC Test Championship for the top 9 Test countries and the 13-team ICC ODI League. Hence, the total number of playing days for Afghanistan will increase with Asia Cup matches, which will carry ODI status.
Afghanistan will be playing their maiden test against India in Jun 2018, whereas Ireland will play theirs against Pakistan a month earlier in May 2018.
