5 Nov 2024

No Test cricket ahead for White Ferns

6:32 am on 5 November 2024
New Zealand White Ferns team celebrates with the trophy, ICC Women's T20 World Cup Final, Dubai, 2024.

New Zealand White Ferns team celebrates with the trophy, ICC Women's T20 World Cup Final, Dubai, 2024. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

There is no test cricket on the horizon for the White Ferns.

The ICC has unveiled the 2025-2029 Future Tours Programme, which outlines the fixtures for the fourth edition of the ICC Women's Championship.

This cycle will increase to 11 teams with the inclusion of Zimbabwe.

In the Women's Championship, each team will compete against eight other teams, maintaining the format of four home and four away series, as in the current edition. Across 44 series, a total of 132 ODIs will be played, with each series consisting of three matches.

New Zealand will play India, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka at home and England, Australia, Pakistan and Ireland away.

Fifteen Tests have been scheduled in the next cycle, with West Indies set to play their first match in the format in 20 years, having last featured in 2003-04 against Pakistan.

New Zealand isn't scheduled to play a Test before 2029.

New Zealand women last played a Test in in 2004, but with their recent success at the T20 World Cup it was hoped that it could lead to another.

England gets to play Test matches against West Indies, India, Australia and South Africa.

Meanwhile, the Women's Premier League in India, The Hundred in England and the WBBL in Australia all get separate windows.

The upcoming FTP cycle will also feature an ICC Women's tournament every year, starting with the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup in 2025, the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in 2026, the inaugural ICC Women's Champions Trophy in 2027 and the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in 2028.

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