ICC meeting in April to finalise FTP 2019-2023

The final approval for next year's Test and ODI leagues will be given by the ICC at their April meeting

What's the story?

The Future Tours Programme (FTP) for the calendar years 2019-2023 will be finalised by the ICC at its quarterly meeting in Kolkata on April 25 and 26. The document that binds the Test playing nations to hold on to the discussed FTP will be given to the international body during the meeting.

"The FTP is a document that is planned and agreed upon by the Test playing nations. The Chief Executives meeting did not take place in Dubai. They will meet in Kolkata, consider it again and give it to the ICC,’’ an official said.

In case you didn't know...

While it was the ICC which was earlier responsible to fix the upcoming tours and fixtures in international cricket, it is now up to the respective national boards to finalise the schedule of their series. After the same is done between any two boards, the final approval is given by the ICC, where it confirms the staging of that particular tournament or series.

The heart of the matter

Due to international cricket demanding more context with the advent and the rapid popularity of T20 leagues across the globe, the ICC was compelled into drawing up a Test and an ODI league post the 2019 World Cup in England. While that has been nearly confirmed – the respective leagues will include 9 and 13 teams with the process of promotion and relegation into play – once the ICC gives a final approval, matches can be played with more relevance with every game holding an importance of its own.

Author's Take

Once the green signal for the leagues is given by the international body, there is a fine probability that matches which are now termed as 'dead rubbers' will carry significance in the future. Winning every game will get the teams useful points and that would go a long way in deciding their fate for qualification in the subsequent World Cups.