ICC's agenda for 2027-31: more T20Is, fewer bilateral ODIs
The ICC will get together in Dubai this week for a workshop in which the next Future Tours Programme (FTP) looms large, with members trying to put a shape to the next international cricket calendar cycle from 2027 to 2031.
Starting on Tuesday, the ICC will conduct a cricket operations workshop, which will feature discussions on the FTP, the current cycle of which ends in March 2027. Though lots of progress has been made in recent months, these meetings will not produce a final and comprehensive FTP yet because, as one official put it, there are still "so many moving parts". Plenty of each member's main commitments should be finalised, though, with the final FTP likely to be presented at the ICC quarterly meeting in November, scheduled to be held in Bali.
Increase T20Is, reduce bilateral ODIs
There is likely to be more T20Is between Full Members in the next cycle, and that would come at the cost of bilateral ODIs, as cricket struggles to fit everything it wants into a calendar year. T20Is are the ICC's growth vehicle to expand the game, and its World Cup is also played every two years, as opposed to the four years for the 50-over version. Rudi van Vuuren, the Namibia Cricket chair and newly inducted ICC Board director, recently said that he saw more opportunities for Associates in the T20 world.
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That, though, doesn't mean the ODI is dead. The World Cup remains the game's showpiece event. But there has been talk among members of making ODIs more meaningful - not by bringing back the ODI Super League but by going retro with some 1990s staples like tri-series and quadrilaterals.
Big 3 commitments all but set
While the FTP is far from finalised, Cricinfo understands that Australia, England and India's main commitments with each other have been set for some time. The Ashes will continue its usual pattern, with series in 2027 (in England), 2029-30 (in Australia) and 2031 (in England), while England will travel to India for a Test series in early 2028 before hosting them in 2029.
The 2027-31 cycle also throws up the challenge of the Los Angeles Olympics in the summer of 2028, where cricket marks its first appearance at the Olympics since 1900. The games will take place in July, midway through the English summer, and the week-long men's T20 cricket event is expected to clash with England's home Test series against West Indies.
The challenge for most of the other Full Members, as ever, will be to bake commitments first with India and then with Australia or England into their calendars. South Arica, for instance, are expected to host India immediately after the 2027 ODI World Cup, which they are co-hosting with Zimbabwe and Namibia in October-November.
The PCB, for whom bilateral cricket with India is not an option, have pushed for increased commitments with England and Australia. They have already announced a five-match ODI series against England next summer, although that began as discussions for a one-off Test if Pakistan would have been in the running for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 final. Pakistan also have a three-Test tour of Australia set for 2027-28.
WTC to remain nine teams?
The shape and format of the WTC, currently in its fourth cycle, has been the subject of much discussion over the last year, including talk of a two-tier league which was soon dismissed. In April this year, a presentation by an ICC working committee recommended the inclusion of Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Ireland in addition to the nine teams in the tournament, as well as including one-Test series in the league.
Zimbabwe are believed to be keen to be on the WTC, though it isn't certain whether Afghanistan and Ireland are. As things stand, it still isn't clear whether the WTC will expand, at least for its next cycle from 2027-29, although we can expect some direction later this week.
New DRS vendors
A session on the second day of the meetings this week will discuss the ICC's DRS accreditation programme, with the governing body looking to expand the base of review technology suppliers. At the moment, Hawk-Eye and Virtual Eye are the ICC's approved suppliers for DRS technology in all international cricket.
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