The International Cricket Council (ICC) is working to avoid scheduling conflicts between franchise leagues and women’s international matches. They are achieving this by being proactive and publishing the Future Tours Programme (FTP) for women’s cricket ahead of the T20 circuit. This allows for a better coordination of the women’s international cricket calendar and franchise leagues, compared to how the men’s calendar has been developed over the years.
ICC CEO, Geoff Allardice, believes that a key difference between the men’s and women’s game is the scarcity of Test matches. This gives more freedom to avoid clashes between the women’s international fixtures and the domestic leagues. The women’s FTP only has seven Tests scheduled for the 2022-25 period, which leaves ample time for white-ball formats.
In addition, the ICC is also focused on growing the women’s game globally. They have taken steps towards this goal by hosting a women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup and extending the field to 16 teams, six more than the senior tournament. This provides more playing opportunities at the global level, which will advance the game beyond the top countries. They also see the upcoming Women’s IPL as an opportunity to provide big-money and development opportunities for Indian and foreign players.
Snehal Pradhan, the ICC’s new Women’s Cricket Manager, also mentioned countries like Thailand and Brazil as examples of how the game is spreading and developing. These countries have offered full-time contracts to their women’s teams ahead of men’s teams, recognizing the opportunities for those teams to participate in major world tournaments. This is a strategic decision that shows the growing importance and recognition of women’s cricket in the global stage.
Overall, the ICC’s approach to publishing a women’s FTP ahead of franchise leagues and their focus on growing the women’s game globally, is a proactive step towards ensuring a better coordination of the women’s international cricket calendar and minimizing conflicts between international fixtures and domestic leagues.
