Future tour rumours

[sam_ahm]

When is the ZIM-BD series...is it before or after the qualifiers?

Qualifiers are from 8th July, so it has to be after the qualifiers. That is after 18th July. Bangladesh have got Asia Cup from 24th August so I think it will be in that one month window in between.

Which again confuses me as to when will india series happen. I don't see any window for that actually.

[secretzimbo]

Bangladesh is straight after the Qualifiers. Last word was that it was white ball only but I'll be very pleasantly surprised and happy if there is a Test!

India is supposed to be August, and I think they confirmed previously they will be using two separate squads during that period, so we will probably get more of an India A side here.

Qualifiers
Bangladesh
India
Australia

is the plan

Then a West Indies A tour after that and then the Netherlands are coming, either December 2022 or Feb 2023 apparently.

[secretzimbo]

Then after that we are into the new FTP which hasn’t been published yet and I fear will be very poor for Zim

[secretzimbo]

“There will be fewer men’s Test cricket during the next Future Tours Programme from 2023-27, with the calendar packed with Twenty20 leagues and global international tournaments.

Some countries may have to make room and play less Test cricket,” Barclay told Test Match Special. “Some of the smaller full members will have to accept that they can’t play the amount of Test cricket that they wanted to so we may see a lessening of that – four or five [games] a year whereas England, Australia, India I think will be playing Test cricket as they are now.”

Quote from the English media today, that's the ICC Chairman.

The ICC and the big three are a disgrace.

[Kriterion_BD]

“There will be fewer men’s Test cricket during the next Future Tours Programme from 2023-27, with the calendar packed with Twenty20 leagues and global international tournaments.

Some countries may have to make room and play less Test cricket,” Barclay told Test Match Special. “Some of the smaller full members will have to accept that they can’t play the amount of Test cricket that they wanted to so we may see a lessening of that – four or five [games] a year whereas England, Australia, India I think will be playing Test cricket as they are now.”

Quote from the English media today, that's the ICC Chairman.

The ICC and the big three are a disgrace.

The fault here lies mostly or at least partly with the smaller countries who have their own t20 cricket leagues. Like why on earth does the BCB need the BPL? It's a shit league no one cares about, is rife with scandals and poor pitches, and only attracts foreign players past their prime or that no one has ever heard of. And it wastes 4-5 weeks of the season when you could easily host 2-3 Tests. On top of all that, the team will still suck at T20 cricket. Ditto for Sri Lanka and Pakistan too.

That being said Bangladeshi media seems to suggest Bangladesh will play around 10 Tests per year for the next 4 years. 6-8 will probably be WTC matches so that is possible.

[Kriterion_BD]

But 4-5 Tests per year is way more than what ZIM, AFG, and Ireland are playing currently. So that's not bad at all.

[Googly]

These lesser T20 leagues do give players an opportunity to make some cash, not the big bucks, but 30-50k is not to be sneered at. It would suit our players who are unlikely to get a call up to the bigger competitions and provide them with a real opportunity to get enough cash together to put a deposit on a house or a piece of land or whatever.
Plus if they did well it may open a door to a bigger league.

[Kriterion_BD]

Idk about that. Apart from Raza and BM, no one from ZIM is getting those 30-50k deals. And no matter how good a Bangladeshi might do in the PSL or the CPL, they will be overlooked for IPL unless their name is Shakib or Fizz. These T20 leagues are good for Afghan and Windies players who are really only good at the T20 format.

I'm no fan of the IPL - never watched a single game and don't plan to. But it annoys me that every country wants to try and copy that model.

[secretzimbo]

Idk about that. Apart from Raza and BM, no one from ZIM is getting those 30-50k deals. And no matter how good a Bangladeshi might do in the PSL or the CPL, they will be overlooked for IPL unless their name is Shakib or Fizz. These T20 leagues are good for Afghan and Windies players who are really only good at the T20 format.

I'm no fan of the IPL - never watched a single game and don't plan to. But it annoys me that every country wants to try and copy that model.

I don't mind the IPL as a product taken at face value - the games are extremely high quality and often enjoyable. But the issues are with the wider problems it creates in cricket.

The BCCI now entirely run the ICC, with their faithful lapdogs CA and the ECB in support of course. Cricket is on a one way slide into the oblivion of an entire global sport entirely and permanently dominated by and serving purely the demands of the BCCI and the IPL franchise owners.
Even if Zim were half competitive, long-term we'd probably be finished. Ireland and Afghanistan will eventually go the same way and there sure as shit will never be another new test playing nation again in our lifetimes.


The dream is to scrap two of the formats and be left with a 5-nation T20 World Cup, hosted every six months - always in India. India, Australia, England, the USA, and maybe Pakistan if the Indian government is feeling generous at the time.
The 5 month gap between every world cup will be filled exclusively by the IPL, which now consists of 187 franchises and 7,000 different commercial partners.
Once per decade if England have been a loyal servant, they might be lucky enough to get permission from the BCCI to play some bilateral games at The Upstox CricIndex Byju's Tata-Safari FanCode NFT London Knight Riders Arena (Lord's) - the only remaining cricket ground in the country - or even a exhibition match against a rest of the world XI in Barbados to keep the thirsty sunburnt pom fans happy and the poor barmy army trumpeter in employment.
Meanwhile the 4-match Women's Indian T20 Challenge is still played annually as a footnote during IPL playoff week whilst the commentators continue to make vaguely sexist and dismissive comments about the players as if its all a bit of a laugh. No other women's cricket is allowed globally. All 90-odd associate members have been banned from playing cricket because why should they be allowed?

[secretzimbo]

About 400 old men with stained old union jack flags and cups of warm beer are in attendance for every home game of the London Knight Riders - the only overseas franchise - having paid £850 pounds each for a ticket.

They occasionally burst into mundane renditions of old favourites 'Sweet Caroline' and 'Please Don't Take Me Home', having had to drink at least 20 pints each to ensure they forget about the destruction of the beautiful game that has gone before them.

Meanwhile 8 billion people watch the game on TV in India. A typical IPL game now lasts 7 and a half hours. Kevin Pietersen is still on commentary saying its all fantastic and if anything the sport needs to be shrunk yet further to ensure 'competitiveness'. He's very excited about the Upstox Swiggy Instamart Fast Five Performance of the Match going to a new 18-year old Indian superstar, who is happily collecting a cheque of 79billion USD for his efforts today - 1-23 and 24(7) with the bat.