The Cricket Calendar: How Seasons and Tours Are Scheduled
Cricket is played year-round across different hemispheres — while England plays Test cricket in English summers, Australia hosts tours in their summer (Dec-Feb), and India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka play all year. This guide explains how the global cricket calendar works and the ICC's Future Tours Programme.
Cricket's global schedule is divided by hemisphere: the Northern Hemisphere summer (May-September) is England's home international season; the Southern Hemisphere summer (October-March) is Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa's home season; and the subcontinent (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh) plays throughout the year with modifications for monsoon seasons (July-September reduces playable days in some areas). The result: cricket is played on some international ground virtually every week of the year.
The Future Tours Programme (FTP)
The ICC's Future Tours Programme (FTP) is the master schedule for international cricket — a 4-year forward plan showing which nations host which opponents for Test, ODI, and T20I series. The FTP is negotiated between cricket boards and the ICC, with major boards (India, England, Australia) having significant scheduling influence. Commercial considerations drive FTP decisions: India hosting England in the FTP generates far more broadcast revenue than two smaller nations hosting each other — which is why India tends to have more home series and the most lucrative fixtures.
ICC Event Calendar
ICC global events occur on a 4-year cycle: T20 World Cup (held every 2 years — in alternating even years); ODI Cricket World Cup (held every 4 years — 2019, 2023, 2027); ICC World Test Championship Final (held every 2 years alternating with the ODI WC cycle); Champions Trophy (held every 4 years — 2025 hosted in Pakistan); and Women's equivalents running parallel. The ICC calendar's expansion of global events from 2 (CWC + T20 WC) to 5+ has increased sponsorship revenue but compressed bilateral series scheduling.
Night Cricket and Pink Ball
Day-night Test cricket (using a pink ball visible in artificial light) was introduced in 2015 (Australia vs New Zealand in Adelaide — 123,000 aggregate attendance) to address Test cricket's declining audiences. The scheduling rationale: working fans could attend evening sessions; broadcast audiences peak in prime-time rather than daytime. Day-night Tests are now part of multiple bilateral series schedules. The pink ball behaves differently from red (more swing under lights due to lacquer properties) — creating specific tactical adjustments in the early evening session (when swing is most extreme and batting is hardest).
Frequently asked questions
When does England play Test cricket?
England plays Test cricket at home in the English summer (typically May to September). During winter months (October-April), England tours abroad — South Africa, Australia, India, or the Caribbean — playing in host nations' summer conditions. The England Cricket Board (ECB) schedules approximately 3-4 home Test series and 1-2 tour series per year. Major series (Ashes, India home) anchor the home summer schedule.
What is the ICC Future Tours Programme?
The ICC's Future Tours Programme (FTP) is a 4-year forward schedule showing all international cricket tours — which nations host which opponents for Tests, ODIs, and T20Is. It is negotiated between cricket boards and the ICC, with major boards (BCCI, ECB, Cricket Australia) having significant scheduling influence. The FTP ensures every Test nation plays regular international cricket and determines the ICC World Test Championship points structure.
What is a day-night Test match?
A day-night Test uses a pink ball (more visible under artificial lights) and starts in the afternoon, continuing into the evening session under floodlights. It was introduced in 2015 to improve Test cricket's audience accessibility — working fans can attend evening sessions; broadcast prime-time audiences are larger. Day-night Tests are now part of multiple bilateral schedules. The pink ball swings more under lights than red, creating specific tactical challenges in the twilight session.