(Cricket news) The International Cricket Council today released a new four-year Future Tours Programme (FTP) for the men’s game which will see Ireland Men play 113 matches against Full Members between May 2023 and April 2027.
In an action-packed start to the new year, Ireland Men start 2023 with tours of Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka as part of the current 2019-2023 FTP, before the new 2023-2027 FTP begins in May.
The announcement of the new FTP, a result of a collective effort of Full Members with ICC’s support, ensures certainty of cricket fixtures with the confirmation of all bilateral series across the three formats. The exact dates of the series are for the Members to announce in due course.
The announcement of the new Men’s FTP comes a day after the first ever Women’s FTP was announced.
OVERVIEW OF FTP 2023-2027
Ireland starts the new FTP with a home white-ball series against Bangladesh, then immediately travel to England for a one-off Test match in June 2023.
Ireland will also tour England for three ODIs before taking on Zimbabwe for one Test, three ODIs and three T20Is later in the year. January 2024 will then see Ireland play Afghanistan away for one Test, three ODIs and three T20Is, one of their four series against the Asian team during the five-year cycle.
Ireland, who gained Test status along with Afghanistan in 2017, will also play Tests against New Zealand and Zimbabwe at home, while their other limited overs fixtures include those against Australia, Pakistan, South Africa, England, Sri Lanka and the West Indies.
In all, Ireland Men are set to play 12 Test matches, 54 one-day internationals and 47 T20 Internationals against fellow Full Member sides. The programme outlined does not include the fixtures against Associate Members, of which will be announced in due course. The FTP fixtures are all outside of further international matches to be played as part of ICC events – the first such ICC event may be the Cricket World Cup Qualifier in June-July 2023 (if Ireland doesn’t automatically qualify through the World Cup Super League).
IRELAND MEN’S PLAYING SCHEDULE 2023-2027
Remaining fixtures under the 2018-2023 FTP:
2023
January 2023: Zimbabwe v Ireland Men in Zimbabwe (3 ODIs, 3 T20Is)
March 2023: Bangladesh v Ireland Men in Bangladesh (1 Test, 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is)
April 2023: Sri Lanka v Ireland Men in Sri Lanka (1 Test)
Ireland Men’s playing schedule under the new 2023-2027 FTP:
2023
May 2023: Ireland Men v Bangladesh in Ireland (3 ODIs, 4 T20Is)
May 2023: England v Ireland Men in England (1 Test)
September 2023: England v Ireland Men in England (3 ODIs)
November 2023: Zimbabwe v Ireland Men in Zimbabwe (1 Test, 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is)
2024
January 2024: Afghanistan v Ireland Men in India (1 Test, 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is)
May 2024: Ireland Men v Pakistan in Ireland (3 T20Is)
July 2024: Ireland Men v South Africa in Ireland (3 ODIs, 3 T20Is)
August 2024: Ireland Men v Zimbabwe in Ireland (1 Test, 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is)
September 2024: Ireland Men v Australia in Ireland (3 ODIs, 1 T20I)
2025
January 2025: Zimbabwe v Ireland Men in India (2 Tests, 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is)
June 2025: Ireland Men v West Indies in Ireland (3 ODIs)
June 2025: Ireland Men v England in Ireland (3 ODIs)
July 2025: Ireland Men v Afghanistan in Ireland (1 Test, 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is)
September 2025: Pakistan v Ireland Men in Pakistan (3 ODIs, 3 T20Is)
October 2025: Sri Lanka v Ireland Men in Sri Lanka (3 ODIs, 3 T20Is)
November 2025: Bangladesh v Ireland Men in Bangladesh (2 Tests, 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is)
2026
May 2026: Ireland Men v New Zealand in Ireland (1 Test)
July 2026: Ireland Men v South Africa in Ireland (3 ODIs, 3 T20Is)
August 2026: Ireland Men v Bangladesh in Ireland (3 ODIs, 3 T20Is)
August 2026: Ireland Men v Afghanistan in Ireland (1 Test, 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is)
2027
March 2027: Afghanistan v Ireland Men in India (1 Test, 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is)
Warren Deutrom, Chief Executive of Cricket Ireland, said: “The release of the new ICC Future Tours Programme marks yet another milestone in the progress Irish cricket has made over recent years. The quality and the volume of international cricket for Irish fans to enjoy is something previous generations only dreamt about.
“Starting with Bangladesh at home, then heading straight to a Test match against England is a mouth-watering start to the new programme – and all of that following three tours during the early months of the year.
“During the period 2023-2027, Ireland Men will play matches against all 11 of the other Full Member sides, in 113 fixtures scheduled outside of ICC tournaments. Pleasingly, this will also include 12 Test matches – a format we as a country are keen to pursue more over coming years, whilst understanding that qualification for world cups remains a key priority.
“It’s also important to note that the FTP announced today does not include bilateral fixtures against Associate nations, which will also be added to Ireland Men’s playing schedule over coming years.
“The ability, as a Full member, to be able to lock in multiple years’ worth of bilateral cricket is important for Cricket Ireland, as it allows us to plan ahead and pursue revenue streams with a greater level of certainty. This revenue, from areas such as broadcast and sponsorship, goes back into the game at all levels, helping us to deliver on growing the game across Ireland.
“This men’s FTP, combined with the women’s FTP announced yesterday, means we have an incredibly busy few years ahead for Irish cricket fans to enjoy.”
Also read: India gear up for 1st ODI against Zimbabwe at Harare
