Future Tours Programme Discussion
 

As I was wondering whether India-Pakistan Test Series in August 2013 would happen, it made me wonder about FTP in general.

Future Tours Programme

Seems like the coming Bangladesh tour of Sri Lanka is going pretty unnoticed.

The link shows that 2013 April & May WI-SL series but I hear it is postponed.

I did search around the Cricket Web Chat section and found no similar threads (also resulted in find a T20I in Olympic Games thread), so I'm OP'ing this.

What do you all think of FTP? Do you think it is adequate? Should it ensure more balanced schedule for teams involved? Is there a window for Domestic T20 tournaments needed (different topic but pretty much almost all countries are trying to avoid scheduling games during IPL season - which is during Indian school summer vacation moths of April & May)?

It's between individual boards to organise a bilateral series. Hence why Australia and England are playing a lot of Test cricket.

Should FTP ensure a minimum amount of series against each other for test playing nations?

I would be happy with that. They should also ensure tour programmes for under-19 team and the A teams.

And (ODI & T20I) matches for Associate ODI level members. Ireland, Scotland, Netherlands, Afghanistan are all underplaying.

well, I think so.

I'm also of the opinion that restricting bilateral LO series to 3 t20s, 3 ODIs only would be the best for the game.

Noone cares about meaningless t20s and ODIs.

4 Tests, 3 ODI's and 1 T20 should be the format ideally.

or even scrap t20 internationals except for world cups and ask the public to go to more domestic games...

Isn't that the whole point of the FTP?

BCCI and PCB say hello. :laugh:

or scrap ODIs, after all t20 series don't tend to go on for eons.....

NO... you are overall in the minority. I'm sure there's a lot less viewership for tests than there is for limited overs cricket.

nobody wants to watch one-sided thrashings...like SA v NZ (that tour should have had more ODIs and T20s as it turned out).

when a side like WI goes abroad, it should be 2 tests as it is normally, and when they play at home it should be 3 tests as is the case these days.

when India of now goes to places like Aus, SA, a test series shouldn't be more than 3 tests.

when it is NZ vs WI, have 4 Tests.

Ideally, there should be more competitive cricket.

Not-
Aus vs SL
SA vs NZ
India playing 4/5 tests Overseas
Those game are effectively over inside a day, if not in a couple of sessions..
This is not TEST cricket.

Yeah I was about to qualify the statement.

People watch t20 internationals, but if they were replaced by domestic t20 competitions do you think the crowds would switch, or do you think they'd just stop watching cricket?

I think if you put more of a focus on encouraging domestic spectators it's a good thing.

People enjoyed the HRV cup this year because there was a clear format and it was part of a competition. Random t20 internationals are basically just for bragging rights - there's not enough at stake.

That is what FTP dictates, but boards will have to agree accordingly. When FTP was announced Ind & Pak are not on playing terms. That is why they don't have any matches between them. Apart from that general rule is that each country need to play against all other test playing countries home & away over 6-8 year period. Obviously it cannot be mandatory since there will be lot of problems planning that much ahead. But FTP give you basic idea of who will tour whom at a given point. There are going to be changes here and there but most teams do follow it to a certain extent.

England have the optimal strategy for the next few years. Play loads of series against Australia and India whilst they're rebuilding, whilst avoiding South Africa until 2015/16 when Kallis will have gone and the rest are coming towards the end. Ingenious