England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is planning a major change to the scheduling of England men’s Test cricket, with more five-match home series being considered, including a proposed long series against Pakistan.
The ECB is moving away from the traditional system of reciprocal home-and-away series for the next cycle of the ICC World Test Championship, which begins with next summer’s home Ashes series against Australia national cricket team.
The board has already opened discussions with both South Africa national cricket team and Pakistan about touring England for five-Test series for the first time in decades.
At the same time, England is prepared to play shorter overseas Test tours in countries such as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Those tours could be reduced to a single Test match along with white-ball games, which are considered more commercially valuable for host boards.
The ECB’s new approach follows plans by the International Cricket Council to expand the World Test Championship to include all 12 Test-playing nations. Ireland and Zimbabwe are expected to join the competition in a single division format for the first time.
Another major change being discussed is granting one-off Test matches official WTC status. Previously, teams had to play at least a two-match series for those games to count toward the championship standings.
As part of that shift, England is considering playing its first Test in Zimbabwe since the 1996-97 tour.
The ECB supports the introduction of one-Test series, saying it would create more opportunities for smaller cricket nations while also helping protect the future of Test cricket.
According to internal ECB research, Test cricket remains the most popular format in England across all age groups. The board wants to stage more extended home series similar to those regularly played against Australia and India national cricket team every four years.
The ECB has already proposed a five-Test tour by South Africa in 2032 and hopes to repeat the arrangement in 2036. Pakistan is viewed as an alternative option if the South Africa plan does not move forward.
Despite the push for larger home series, the ECB accepts that long overseas Test tours are not financially practical in several countries.
Under a proposed new WTC structure developed by an ICC working group, each of the 12 teams would play 12 matches against at least eight different opponents over a two-year cycle. The top two teams would then meet in the WTC final every two years at Lord’s Cricket Ground, which is set to host the final through 2031.
The new model would not require every nation to play each other, giving cricket boards greater flexibility in arranging schedules, an approach strongly supported by the ECB.
The ICC board is expected to discuss the proposals later this month, although one meeting has already been delayed because of the conflict in the Middle East. The ICC is based in Dubai.
While the next Future Tours Program runs from 2027 to 2031, the ECB is aiming to finalize most of England’s schedule through 2036.
The board believes that long-term scheduling certainty will strengthen preparations for its next broadcast rights tender, which is scheduled for next year.
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