ICC Unveils 2025-2029 Women’s Cricket Future Tours Programme
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced the Future Tours Programme (FTP) for 2025-2029, setting the stage for the fourth edition of the ICC Women’s Championship. This cycle will prepare teams for the 2029 Women’s Cricket World Cup and includes 11 teams, with Zimbabwe joining for the first time.
Expanded Competition Format
Each team will play against eight others in four home and four away series, similar to the current format. A total of 132 One Day Internationals (ODIs) will be played across 44 series, with each series consisting of three matches. Zimbabwe will host South Africa, West Indies, Sri Lanka, and Ireland, and will travel to India, New Zealand, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
Increased International Matches
The new FTP promises over 400 matches across all formats, providing more opportunities for players. Each year will feature an ICC Women’s tournament, starting with the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2025, followed by the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2026, the inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy in 2027, and another ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2028.
Tri-Series and Test Matches
Member countries have scheduled several tri-series tournaments. England will host India and New Zealand in a T20I series before the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, while Ireland will host Pakistan and the West Indies. Sri Lanka and the West Indies will host tri-series in 2027 and 2028, respectively. The FTP also includes more Test matches, with Australia, England, India, South Africa, and the West Indies committing to multi-format series.
Global Representation and Thrilling Contests
This expanded schedule aims to elevate women’s cricket standards and ensure broader global representation and more exciting contests.
Doubts Revealed
ICC -: ICC stands for the International Cricket Council. It is the global governing body for cricket, responsible for organizing international cricket tournaments and setting rules for the game.
Future Tours Programme -: The Future Tours Programme (FTP) is a schedule of international cricket matches that teams will play over a set period. It helps teams plan their matches and tours in advance.
ODIs -: ODIs stand for One Day Internationals. These are cricket matches that are played over one day, with each team having a set number of overs, usually 50, to score runs.
Tri-series -: A tri-series in cricket is a tournament where three teams compete against each other. Each team plays the others, and the team with the most wins usually advances to the final.
Multi-format series -: A multi-format series in cricket includes matches of different formats, such as Tests, ODIs, and T20s, played between the same teams. It provides a variety of challenges and excitement for players and fans.
