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Here at International Cricket Tours we’re aiming to feature all overseas England men’s tours plus ICC World Cup events. The following England Cricket Future Tours Programme was issued in August 2022 and is subject to revision.

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England fans face minimum five-year wait for West Indies Test tour

• Draft tours programme seen by the Guardian
• No Test tour would be huge financial blow for region

England are poised to deliver a crushing blow to West Indies cricket and their own travelling supporters with no men’s Test tour of the Caribbean scheduled for at least the next five years.

According to a draft of the future tours programme for the period May 2023 to February 2027 – seen by the Guardian and due to be finalised at the ICC’s AGM in Birmingham this month – the England men’s team are scheduled to play just eight white-ball fixtures in the Caribbean during this time.

These come in a single tour early in the cycle – straight after the 50-over World Cup in India next year and thus likely to involve a weakened squad – with England’s only other visit thereafter being the T20 World Cup in 2024. It leaves a minimum five-year gap between Test tours of the Caribbean for England after their 1-0 series defeat in March .

This is likely to dismay the hordes of England supporters who flock to the region for the trip of a lifetime – around 10,000 were present in Barbados this year, with about 3,000 for the Tests in Antigua and Grenada – and the financial knock-on effect to Cricket West Indies will be significant.

England Test tours are worth at least $10m (£8.4m) to CWI (nearly double when combined with limited‑overs cricket). There is also a larger impact, with recent visits to have featured both Test and white‑ball cricket estimated to have been worth up to $100m to the region’s economy.

While bilateral internationals can be loss-makers for West Indies, England tours remain a significant revenue source for CWI in a global cricket economy that is skewed heavily against such a high-cost, low-income part of the world. West Indies have more than proved their strength as opponents too, with England registering just one Test series win in the Caribbean since 1968.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has pointed to a World Test Championship draw that was out of its control. But given its seat at the ICC top table, three non-WTC series versus New Zealand since 2019 (including one next winter) and seven fewer England men’s Tests than their 49 during the last cycle, it still appears a cold-shouldering of CWI after good relations in recent times.

West Indies sent men’s and women’s teams to the UK during the height of the pandemic in 2020, helping to prevent the ECB from suffering catastrophic losses. Though this led to an expansion of England’s return visit earlier this year – a two-Test series became three and three T20s became five – these favours were not exactly equal.

The next instalment of the future tours programme is one in which England, India and Australia look generally to maximise their lucrative encounters – all three nations play five-match Test series home and away against each other – but squeezes bilateral international cricket and boasts annual ICC tournaments.

A two-and-a-half-month window has been carved out for the expanded Indian Premier League and other boards are also looking to free up space so big-name players can feature in their franchise tournaments, including the Big Bash League and the Hundred. The Ashes in England next year, for example, will be over by the end of July.

England’s overseas men’s Test tours during this period include a five-match series in India in early 2024, three apiece in New Zealand and Pakistan later that year, a five-match away Ashes series in 2025-26, and three Tests in South Africa in 2026-27. The sole Test series against West Indies is three matches scheduled for the 2024 home summer.

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England face stacked schedule as Future Tours Programme confirmed for 2023-2027

England's packed schedule includes a one-off Test against Ireland ahead of next summer's home Ashes series - which will run between mid-June and the end of July

The Future Tours Programme for 2023 to 2027 has been confirmed.

England's packed schedule includes a one-off Test against Ireland ahead of next summer's home Ashes series - which will run between mid-June and the end of July, a five-match series in India in early 2024, and visits from West Indies and Sri Lanka in the Test arena in the home summer of 2024.

The whole of August is kept free from England fixtures to accommodate The Hundred in each of 2023 and 2024, though there are games against Ireland and Pakistan which creep into the schedule in 2025 and 2026 respectively.

England men's schedule for the 2023-2027 period has been confirmed [Getty Images]

The next Ashes campaign down under will take place in 2025-26, while the red-ball side's 2026-27 winter will be spent in South Africa and Bangladesh.

The white-ball setup continues its global jetset. In 2023, that includes home series against New Zealand and Ireland in September, prior to three ODIs and five T20Is in the Caribbean in December 2023. 

Five T20s against Pakistan kick off the 2024 summer, while Australia visit in September for five ODIs and three T20s.

Ireland, West Indies and South Africa make up the limited-overs opponents in the summer of 2025, and there is a white-ball trip to New Zealand before the Ashes series. 

An ODI tri series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka is scheduled for October 2026. 

England's Future Tours Programme: 2023-2027

January 2023: South Africa (a, 3 ODIs)

February 2023: New Zealand (a, 2 Tests)

March 2023: Bangladesh (a, 3 ODIs, 3T20Is)

June 2023: Ireland (h, 1 Test)

June-July 2023: Australia (h, 5 Tests)

September 2023: New Zealand (h, 3 ODIs, 5T20Is)

September 2023: Ireland (h, 3 ODIs)

October-November 2023: World Cup

December 2023: West Indies (a, 3 ODIs, 5 T20Is)

January-March 2024: India (a, 5 Tests)

May 2024: Pakistan (h, 5 T20Is)

June 2024: T20 World Cup

July 2024: West Indies (h, 3 Tests)

September 2024: Sri Lanka (h, 2 Tests)

September 2024: Australia (h, 5 ODIs, 3 T20Is)

October 2024: Pakistan (a, 3 Tests)

November-December 2024: New Zealand (a, 3 Tests)

January-February 2025: India (a, 3 ODIs, T20Is)

February-March 2025: Champions Trophy

June 2025: West Indies (h, 3 ODIs)

June-August 2025: India (h, 5 Tests)

June 2025: Ireland (a, 3 ODIs)

September 2025: South Africa (h, 3 ODIs, 3 T20s)

September 2025: West Indies (h, 3 T20Is)

October-November 2025: New Zealand (a, 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is)

November 2025-January 2026: Australia (a, 5 Tests)

January-February 2026: Sri Lanka (a, 3 ODIs, 3 T20Is)

February-March 2026: T20 World Cup

June 2026: New Zealand (h, 3 Tests)

July 2026: India (h, 3 ODIs, 5 T20Is)

August-September 2026: Pakistan (h, 3 Tests)

September 2026: Sri Lanka (3 ODIs, 3 T20Is)

October-November 2026: Tri Series (a v Pakistan, Sri Lanka - 4 matches)

November 2026: Australia (a, 3 ODIs, 3T20Is)

December 2026-February 2027: South Africa (a, 3 Tests, 3 ODIs 3 T20Is)

February 2027: Bangladesh (a, 2 Tests)

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England all-rounder opts out of T20 World Cup 2024

Ben Stokes has requested not to be considered for England selection for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024.

Star all-rounder Ben Stokes has stated that he does not want to be considered for selection for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024,  the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Tuesday, 2 April.

The England Test captain's focus is currently to gain full bowling fitness for not just the upcoming summer, which includes two three-match Test series against West Indies and Sri Lanka respectively, but all cricket in the future.

Ben Stokes impressed with his all-round performance for England at the T20 World Cup 2022.

Commenting on his decision, Stokes said: “I’m working hard and focusing on building my bowling fitness back up to fulfil a full role as an all-rounder in all formats of cricket.

“Opting out of the IPL and the World Cup will hopefully be a sacrifice that allows me to be the all-rounder I want to be for the foreseeable future.

“The recent Test tour of India highlighted how far behind I was from a bowling point of view after my knee surgery and nine months without bowling. I’m looking forward to playing for Durham in the County Championship before the start of our Test summer.

“I wish Jos (Buttler), Motty (Matthew Mott) and all the team the best of luck in defending our title.”

Ben Stokes hit six fours and six sixes on the way to his century.

Ben Stokes made a remarkable return to England's squad for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, coming out of ODI retirement to join the mega-event.

However, throughout the tournament, Stokes grappled with knee issues, limiting his participation to just six of England’s nine matches as a specialist batter.

Following the World Cup, Stokes underwent knee surgery and marked his return during England’s five-match Test series against India earlier this year. Despite his limited bowling, Stokes made a memorable comeback during the final Test, clinching the wicket of his counterpart Rohit Sharma with an exquisite delivery.

England are the defending champions at the upcoming T20 World Cup, having won the title in the previous edition in 2022 in Australia. It was Stokes who hit the winning runs in the final against Pakistan, his composed 49-ball 52* taking England to victory.

Ben Stokes scored a 49-ball 52* to help England win their second ICC Men's T20 World Cup title against Pakistan in Melbourne.

England kick off their campaign on 4 June against Scotland in Barbados. Placed in Group B, they will also face tough competition from Australia, Namibia and Oman in their quest for success.

Teenage wicketkeeper-batter earns maiden ODI call-up in South Africa’s squad for Sri Lanka series

New Zealand make late changes to squad for final England ODI

Two Pakistan players sustain ‘minor injuries’ after car accident 

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Ollie Robinson: England Test team close to being best in the world

Ollie Robinson played only once during England's 4-1 Test series defeat to India but is eyeing a permanent spot in the side this summer after Stuart Broad's retirement: "He is one of England's great greatest ever bowlers but, for me, it's about putting my name forward to take over"

Tuesday 2 April 2024 14:48, UK

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England seamer Ollie Robinson believes the Test team are "close to being the best in the world" ahead of the start of the cricketing summer.

Ben Stokes' side were beaten 4-1 in their most recent Test tour of India over the winter but let fantastic opportunities to win the third and fourth Tests slip through their fingers.

Robinson, who played only in the fourth Test in Ranchi, was a guilty party in dropping Dhruv Jurel on 59 in India's first innings as he went on to score a crucial 90 in the slender five-wicket win.

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"We were really close to reversing that result," Robinson told Sky Sports News .

"Obviously a catch I dropped in the fourth Test would have helped us but, no, we feel like 4-1 was undeserved really. We played some really good cricket and maybe on another tour it could have been 3-2 to us, who knows?

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"But the brand of cricket that we're playing is really good to watch for fans and good to play in. I think we're really close to being the best in the world, to be honest. A few one percenters here and there and we can really dominate the world of cricket."

"We all know how passionate he is about playing for England and also how hungry he is to get back to the top level and be the best all-rounder in the world. It's going to be better to have the best Ben Stokes possible back out on the field bowling for England." Ollie Robinson on Ben Stokes opting out of the T20 World Cup

Robinson's dropped catch and 13 wicketless overs for the cost of 54 runs (including six no-balls) was a hugely disappointing return in his only outing in India, with a previous back injury flaring up during the match.

Stokes unavailable for T20 World Cup

Brook returns for start of Yorkshire's season

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Back fit ahead of the start of the domestic cricket season on Friday - Robinson's Sussex kicking off their County Championship campaign at home to Northamptonshire in Division Two - the 30-year-old is hopeful of finding some form and fitness ahead of the start of England's Test summer against the West Indies in July.

"Very frustrating to me," Robinson said, reflecting on the India series. "I put in a lot of hard work before and during that tour. I waited to the fourth Test to get a game and so for my back to give me jip again was very disappointing.

"I've been working hard since I've been home to put that right and hopefully I can do that for Sussex in the upcoming weeks.

"I had a scan last week and that was all clear, which is really pleasing to hear. For me, I just need to do everything I possibly can to stay fit and stay on the park.

"I am quite a rhythmical bowled, so to play games of cricket and get that match intensity is key for me. Hopefully I can play four or five games for Sussex leading into the Test matches and I'll be flying by that time."

Despite a disappointing couple of months in India, Robinson's Test record through his 20 England caps is otherwise exemplary, taking 76 wickets at an average of 22.92 apiece.

That is over 600 wickets shy of James Anderson's record 700, which he reached in India, and Stuart Broad's 604 but, with the latter retiring at the end of last summer, Robinson is eyeing a more permanent place in England's Test attack.

"Obviously Broady can't be replaced," he said. "He is one of England's great greatest ever bowlers but, for me, it's about putting my name forward to take over and take the reins with Jimmy [Anderson]."

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Watch the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup this June, live on Sky Sports, as well as England's Test summer which begins against the West Indies in July. Stream the best sport with NOW .

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Cricket: Sophie Devine returns to White Ferns for final one day international against England 

• 10 hours ago
• Harry Bartle

Star all-rounder Sophie Devine will return to captain the White Ferns for the third and final ODI against England at Seddon Park on Sunday.   

Devine, 34, missed the last three matches of the England tour with a quad strain, but has been brought back for the final game of the series after passing a fitness test in Hamilton yesterday.   

After suffering back-to-back ODI defeats, White Ferns head coach Ben Sawyer says Devine's return gives the team a boost for the final game of the series.   

"Having Sophie lead them out tomorrow will fill the team with confidence," said Sawyer.   

"Sophie is always going to be a big miss whenever she is unavailable so we're delighted to be able to bring her back."   

Devine starred in the White Ferns only victory of the tour so far, the third Twenty20 in Nelson, scoring 60 runs off just 37 deliveries while taking two wickets with the ball.  

However, as Devine returns, opening batter Bernadine Bezuidenhout departs, ruled out after pulling a hamstring at Seddon Park on Thursday.   

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Bezuidenhout received the injury while fielding on the boundary and the coaching staff opted not to send her out to bat at the back end of the second innings.   

A scan in Hamilton this morning has revealed a Grade 1 hamstring strain which will require a short period of rehabilitation.   

"We're disappointed for Bernie, who's already faced her fair share of injury challenges this summer," said Sawyer.   

"We're hoping she will make a quick recovery as we look ahead to a busy winter of cricket." Eden Carson has been called into the group to make up the 13-player squad for the final match of the New Zealand home summer. Mikaela Greig will also join the wider group as extra cover.

Having no way of winning the ODI series, the White Ferns will be playing for pride in the third and final match in Hamilton.

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New Zealand captain Sophie Devine to return from injury for third and final ODI against England

Updated 06/04/2024 at 08:05 GMT

New Zealand received a boost for their third and final one-day international against England after it was confirmed captain Sophie Devine had made a full recovery from a calf strain. The 32-year-old had missed the fifth T20 and first two ODIs of England’s tour, but will return in Hamilton tomorrow. The match will be broadcast live on TNT Sports and discovery+.

White Ferns Captain Sophie Devine in her 50th T20 game as Captain during game three of the T20 International series between New Zealand and England at Saxton Field on March 24, 2024 in Nelson, New Zealand.

Image credit: Getty Images

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England winter tour squads

The England selectors today named 15-man Test and One-Day squads for the forthcoming tours of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka plus a 14-man ECB National Academy Squad

England's Jofra Archer targeting T20 World Cup, says Rob Key

N EW DELHI: England pace bowler Jofra Archer remains a potential contender for this year's T20 World Cup, as stated by England's managing director Rob Key. However, Archer's return to Test cricket is not anticipated until 2025 due to ongoing concerns surrounding his elbow injury.

The 29-year-old speedster has been sidelined from England's lineup across all formats since March 2023, a period marked by his absence from international cricket as he grapples with the challenges posed by his elbow injury.

"The whole plan with Jofra is he is going to play white-ball cricket this summer," Key told Sky Sports on Friday.

Archer's England career has indeed been marred by a series of injuries, disrupting his consistent presence in the team. His last appearance in a Test match dates back to the tour of India in 2021, underlining the extent of his prolonged absence from the longest format of the game.

"Jofra's been out at Sussex's pre-season in India and bowled quickly out there. He bowled really well," Key said.

"He's now just gone back to the Caribbean, where he will play a little bit of club cricket, stuff like that.

"It's all about getting himself ready for that T20 World Cup. He'll hopefully play the Pakistan series (in May), but it's all fingers crossed with Jofra at the moment.

"We're taking it slowly so we get him back for not just a short period, but a long period."

The T20 World Cup begins in West Indies and US on June 1.

(With Reuters inputs)

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Four England Test selection questions the County Championship could answer

Ben Gardner picks out four storylines to follow ahead of the 2024 County Championship season.

Give yourselves a pat on the back, you’ve made it through to the other side. You’ve ridden out another winter, with temperatures lower than Chris Martin’s batting average and barely enough daylight hours to squeeze in a T20 game. Now the clocks have gone forward, the covers are being peeled off and the bats and pads are being fetched down from the attic. The County Championship starts this Friday. Glory be.

While all of English cricket’s domestic subplots remain present – the schedule, the balls, the Surrey dominance – this year there will be heightened interest from a Test selection viewpoint as well. Heading into 2023, a one-run defeat after enforcing the follow-on against New Zealand had done little to dull the sheen of a national side revitalised and a new style implemented. Now, after a succession of spurned opportunities, England are without a series win since 2022, and finished the India tour with an on-the-plane performance to sit alongside the bad old days.

While both are threatening after promising recent results, the visits of West Indies and Sri Lanka makes for one of England’s lowest key modern summers, with the need to win now and plan for the Ashes in 2025/26.

There have been admissions of what needs to change in the approach, with refinement needed and hard conversations to be had. But there are also considerations from a pure personnel point of view, and a block of eight County Championship rounds before the T20 Blast starts offers players the perfect opportunity to make a case. Four strands stand out as narratives to follow.

Which spinners will play, for England and below?

The single biggest positive from England’s tour of India was the emergence of two genuinely promising spinners, and the confirmation that another, Rehan Ahmed, is the real deal. It meant England did not overly miss Jack Leach, ruled out of the tour after the first Test, and left them with a good headache going forward.

What makes this debate all the more intriguing is the contrasting strengths and weaknesses of each. Leach remains the most reliable, but questions remain over his incision and availability. Tom Hartley can bat handily, improved in the first innings as the series progressed, and showed his match-winning qualities in helpful conditions in the first Test. Bashir might have the highest ceiling as a pure spinner, with his stock ball the best of the lot. There might also be a similarity to Nathan Lyon that could prove crucial for the Ashes next year. Ahmed is the most promising batter of the lot, and as a leggie offers an X-factor. If Ben Stokes returns to the all-rounder role, the need for a spinner to make up the overs will be lessened, and a partnership breaker becomes more attractive.

The decision could come as much down to the profile of player England’s team needs, as much as to form. But an early season bagful won’t hurt, and in this regard, it is unclear who will actually play. Ahmed certainly will, though  potentially as more of a batter than bowler for Leicestershire in the early season. Whether Bashir plays depends on Leach’s fitness, with the pair sharing a Somerset dressing room. Hartley is likely to be edged out of the Lancashire XI by overseas signing Lyon, though he will leave after seven games . England might need to take another punt when Test selection time rolls around.

Is this the year England’s wicketkeeping duopoly is broken?

For over half a decade now, ever since Ben Foakes’ brilliant century on debut in Sri Lanka, the debate over who England’s Test wicketkeeper should be has rumbled on . In the Ashes, Jonny Bairstow was preferred, and while he batted well, several opportunities slipped through to cost England in the first two Tests. Foakes returned for India with Harry Brook absent and where the value of good glovework is increased, but while he showed his skills behind the stumps , in front of them he failed to fully make his case, struggling to shepherd the tail and contributing to stands without making a score of significance .

Bairstow also had a tough series, attacking from the off with little staying power. He is 34, and is yet to return to his best since a leg break, continuing a streaky Test career . He is in the IPL, but right now, is still the most likely choice to take the gloves in the first Test of the summer. However, several candidates are bubbling under. Ollie Robinson was one of the main drivers of Durham’s promotion tilt last summer. Should he reprise his form in Division One, his case will be attractive. Somerset’s James Rew, Essex’s Jordan Cox and Surrey’s Jamie Smith are three younger talents to keep an eye on. Phil Salt, like Bairstow, is at the IPL, but has an intriguing case, with a Division One average of 42 in the last two seasons.

What is England’s fast bowling pecking order?

Last winter, when the ECB announced a raft of multi-year central contracts for the first time , one of the most eye-catching aspects of the list was the number of fast bowlers who had signed deals. A total of 14 quicks were drafted in, including several fringe fast men on multi-year deals – the likes of Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue. On the one hand, it pointed to encouraging strength in depth. On the other, it demonstrated how unclear the line of succession is, a question increasingly pressing after the retirement of Stuart Broad.

James Anderson is 41 years old, and while questions about his age have floated around for years, England need to assess how likely he is to carry on into next year’s Ashes, and possibly have a serious chat. Mark Wood is the only quick on a three-year deal, but endured a poor winter, and can’t play every Test. Ollie Robinson might have been stung to get a one-year deal, and bowled without venom in his one Test in India.

Six wickets for Matthew Potts for England Lions this morning! He made a habit of destroying the stumps too pic.twitter.com/vzstEq3VDc — Vitality County Championship (@CountyChamp) January 25, 2024

If England are prioritising immediate success, Chris Woakes, Player of the Ashes, comes straight back into the XI, but if they are balancing planning for the future, they should consider how useful that would be. Gus Atkinson and John Turner will just want to bowl after months of their promise being praised without playing all that much. Matthew Potts excelled for England Lions in India, and has always banged the door down for Durham. England will need a cadre of quicks to challenge in Australia. This summer is about identifying who those are, and what order they fit into.

Can anyone “do a Harry Brook”?

Harry Brook came into the 2022 County Championship season with a first-class batting average of 27. By the start of the summer, even England’s most esteemed pundits were suggesting he make the XI over a man with two Test centuries that year already. England already have a problem of plenty in their top six, which they solved last summer by giving Bairstow back the gloves. But the side is not so settled that the announcement of an extreme talent wouldn’t sway the conversation.

“Hopefully this is the year that I do a Harry Brook,” is how Jordan Cox, who switched from Kent to Essex in the off-season, put it a week or so ago. And there will be plenty of others hoping to put their hands up. Sussex’s James Coles and Lancashire’s Josh Bohannon are two not yet to get a go who could be close soon. Keaton Jennings, also of Lancashire, and Surrey’s Dan Lawrence are two who have been tried before who will want to show a new level has been reached.

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