In the revised Future Tours Programme (FTP) for 2019-20 to 2022-23, the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s operations team has scheduled 158 bilateral international matches (85 home, 73 away) consisting of 37 Tests, 67 ODIs and 54 T20Is.
This programme will be presented at the BCCI’s special general body, to be held in New Delhi on Monday. The home internationals break-up for the four-year cycle is 19 Tests, 38 ODIs and 28 T20Is and the away matches is 18 Tests, 29 ODIs and 26 T20Is.
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The India team has apparently approved the programme after which it was taken up at the informal ICC chief executives meeting in Singapore on December 7 and 8.
Although the ICC doesn’t have a direct say in bilateral series scheduling among full member countries, it acts as facilitator for members to come to an agreement. The ICC then nominates match referees and umpires for international matches.
But before India begins its 2019-20 four year FTP, the BCCI has proposed a home series against South Africa in October-November 2018, involving three Tests, five ODIs and one T20I. This series will mark the beginning of the home media rights for five years from April, 2018. The present agreement with Star India will come to an end in March, 2018.
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The BCCI has also proposed a home series against Australia in February-March 2019, involving five ODIs and two T20s, one Test and three ODIs against Zimbabwe.
This will bring the home internationals for 2018-19 to four Tests, 13 ODIs and three T20s.
After the away series against South Africa in 2018, India will play one ODI and one T20 against Ireland in Ireland in June before embarking on a long tour of England, during which India will play three ODIs and as many T20s and five Tests, with the last Test scheduled in the first week of September.
The next away series will involve four Tests in Australia and five ODIs and three T20s in New Zealand in November-December, 2018 and January 2019.
India is scheduled to play — apart from ODI and T20s — a Test series against West Indies, South Africa, Bangladesh and New Zeraland in 2019-20, Test series against Australia and England in 2020-21, Test series against England, New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka in 2021-22 and four Tests against Australia in 2022-23.
The highlight of the programme proposed by the BCCI is that it has reserved the April-May block open for IPL.
The 2019-2023 FTP:
2019-20:Home: 5 Tests, 11 ODIs, 10 T20s; Away: 4 Tests, 6 ODIs and 8 T20s.
2020-21: Home: 5 Tests, 6 ODIs, 6 T20s; Away: 4 Tests, 9 ODIs and 6 T20s.
2021-22:Home: 5 Tests, 6 ODIs, 9 T20s; Away: 8 Tests, 3 ODIs and 6 T20s.
2022-23: Home: 4 Tests, 15 ODIs, 3 T20s; Away: 2 Tests, 11 ODIs and 6 T20s.