The ICC Chief Executives on Thursday unanimously agreed on a revamp of its Futures Tours and Programmes (FTP) till 2023 in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic that has brought live cricket to a screeching halt. In a statement released the ICC said: "During the call, the CEOs of the 12 Full Members and three Associate representatives confirmed their full commitment to work in partnership to address the challenges the sport will face in the coming weeks and months." "There was agreement that the disrupted FTP programme would need to be collectively reviewed through to 2023 with a view to rescheduling as much of the cricket that has been postponed due to COVID-19 as possible." "Discussions and decisions on this and the future of both the World Test Championship and the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League will be held at a later date when there is a greater understanding of the impact of the cricket that has been lost on the competitions." Already, England's tour of Sri Lanka stands postponed along with Australia's tour of New Zealand. Pakistan and West Indies' tours during the English summer also look to be in serious doubt. It was also learnt that contingency plans are being made for the T20 World Cup in Australia, scheduled for October and November. “I am grateful to my fellow CEOs for their clear commitment to a unified approach to steering cricket through this pandemic. We will work in partnership for the best outcomes for the sport in relation to both ICC events and bilateral cricket," ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney said after the meet. “We agreed on the importance of taking well informed, responsible decisions in relation to the resumption of international cricket. The complexities involved in being able to stage ICC global events are extensive to ensure we protect the health and safety of everyone involved and they will be carefully considered before any decisions are arrived at in the best interests of the game.” (With PTI inputs)
