The much-hyped-about ICC Test championship will become a reality in May-June 2013. According to ICC sources, the inaugural championship will take place in England in the early English summer of 2013.
The current ICC rankings will continue in the same manner till then and around January 2013 the ICC will pick the four top rankers and play two semi-finals and a final, with the finale probably played at the cricket’s Mecca – The Lord’s.
One of the previous ICC meetings |
Even the inaugural Cricket ODI World Cup was played in England and the Final: Australia v West Indies was played at Lord's on Jun 21, 1975.
Prior to this the only other effort for a ‘Test Championship’ was the Asian version of it which was held among India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and was conducted only twice.
In 1998-99 Pakistan won the inaugural Championship and in 2001-02 Sri Lanka emerged as champions. It was originally planned that the tournament would be held every two years, alternatively with the Asia Cup.
Way back in 1912, a Triangular Test Tournament was held between Australia, England and South Africa. In 2006, the Asian Cricket Council cancelled the Asian Test Championship due to the tightly packed international cricket-tour schedule.
At present Sri Lanka are at the third position in the ICC Test fortunes, but ending up within the first four in another year hence, would be a task of its own. But, it must be said Sri Lanka has been a steady player in the longer version of the game and has been among the first four more frequently than not. In their run Sri Lanka prior to the Test championship will have to play the West Indies in three Tests in 2011.
Then following the 2011 World Cup, Sri Lanka will play three Tests against England, Three against Australia, three against Pakistan and three against South Africa.
In 2012 , Sri Lanka will play three tests against England, three against Pakistan, three against India, two against New Zealand and three against Australia, and do well in them to qualify to be among the first four. In total, the Lankan cricketers will be engaged in twenty-nine Test matches before January 2013.
In the post-World Cup and pre-Test World Cup, the Lankan list of engagements
May 2011 -- 3 Test, 5 ODIs and 1 T-20 vs England away.
August 2011 -- 3 Tests and 5 ODIs vs Australia at home.
Oct 2011 3 Tests and 5 ODIs vs Pakistan away.
December 2011 3 Tests and 5 ODIs vs South Africa away.
2012
February 2012: 8-11 ODIs vs Australia away
March 2012: 3 Tests vs England at home.
2012 May: 3 Tests and 5 ODIs vs Pakistan at home.
2012 July: 3 Tests, 5 ODIs and 2 T-20s vs India at home.
2012 September-October: T-20 World Cup at home
2012 November: 2 Tests and 5 ODIs vs New Zealand at home
2012 December: 3 Tests 5 ODIs and 2 T-20s vs Australia away.
2013
March 2013: 2 Tests and 3 ODIs vs Bangladesh at home.
April 2013: 2 Tests, 3 ODIs and 1 T-20 vs West Indies away
May-June ICC Test Championships in England
July 2013: 3 Test and 5 ODIs vs South Africa at home
2013 November: 3 ODIs vs New Zealand at home
December 2013: 3 Tests, 5 ODIS and 1 T-20 vs Pakistan away.
In the 2006-2012 Future Tours Programme Sri Lanka were down to be engaged in 25 Tests in six years while the Lankan management has done well to grab 38 Test matches in the eight year FTP that will commence from 2012 to 2020.
All matches between 2012 and 2020: see tabulated graphic |
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