ICC CEC Meeting: FTP set for complete overhaul, World Test C'ship cycle set to be severely affected

The ICC Chief Executives Committee on Thursday unanimously agreed to revamp the Future Tour Programs (FTP) till 2023, conceding that the "scale and complexity" of getting cricket started again "cannot be underestimated" in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CEC meeting, held via tele-conference, decided that a decision on the World Test Championship (WTC) and the proposed ODI league, scheduled in June, can be taken at a later date. However, it is a given that the WTC final is unlikely to be held in June, 2021 as per the current FTP cycle and a four-month lag is expected.

But the T20 World Cup is on course even though Cricket Australia CEO Kevin Roberts said that his board is ready for any eventuality.

"There was agreement that the disrupted FTP programme would need to be collectively reviewed through to 2023 with a view to rescheduling as much of the cricket that has been postponed due to COVID-19 as possible," the ICC said in a statement.

Already, England's tour of Sri Lanka stands postponed along with Australia's tour of New Zealand.

Pakistan and the West Indies' tours during the English summer also look to be in serious doubt. In fact, the West Indies' tour is all but postponed.

It was also learnt that contingency plans are being made for the T20 World Cup in Australia, scheduled for October and November.

"The CEC was updated on the continuing contingency planning for all ICC global events, including the ICC men's T20 World Cup 2020 and the ICC women's Cricket World Cup 2021.

"Planning for both events as currently scheduled is ongoing."
ICC's official line is that "discussions and decisions on this and the future of both the World Test Championship and the ICC men's cricket World Cup Super League will be held at a later date when there is a greater understanding of the impact of the cricket that has been lost on the competitions."
"This will consider everything from player preparation to government restrictions and advisories and bio-bubbles."
"The more teams, venues and cities involved in an event, the greater the risk which has to be assessed and managed."