Your FTP

[G.I.Joe]

Assuming you're in charge of deciding the FTP for your nation, and you're strictly allowed only 21 tests against the other 7 major test playing nations over 7 tours, how would you go about distributing those 21 tests?

Personally, for India, I'd go with-

Australia 5 tests
England 4 tests
New Zealand 2 tests
Pakistan 3 tests
South Africa 3 tests
Sri Lanka 2 tests
West Indies 2 tests

I'd like to see India play Australia over 5 tests, given the results of the '04 India series and the '03 and '08 Australia series.

 

[Richard]

England vs Australia - 6
England vs South Africa - 5
England vs India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies, New Zealand - 3

Dammit, that's 26.

I just cannot bring myself to play a Test series of less than 3 matches. I'd almost prefer not play at all. And an England-SA series or an England-Australia series of less than 5 matches is near-unthinkable and felt most out-of-place last summer. Fortunately it's now been agreed that all D'Oliveira Trophy series' will be of 5 Tests' duration.

I think 21 is an unneccessarily low number TBH - at least, for England. I can see why New Zealand, Sri Lanka and (at the current time) West Indies would be limited to that as they've almost never played long series' (or in West Indies' case are just not strong enough to merit it currently), but England can easily do away with Twenty20 Internationals to play a few extra Tests. Likewise I will always live in hope that one day we may once again see a five-Test India-Pakistan series (and I don't mean one where the First Test is played on a green seamer \ dustbowl and all the rest on concrete runways).

I feel the following series' should always be aimed for a min of 5 Tests:
England-Australia (H&A)
England-SA (H&A)
Australia-SA (H&A combined)
India-Pakistan (possibly in India only)
India-Australia (again, possibly in India only)

 

[Goughy]

Id like to see England play 5 Test series against Aus, SA and WI.
3 Test series against India

and that is it.

 

[G.I.Joe]

England vs Australia - 6
England vs South Africa - 5
England vs India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, West Indies, New Zealand - 3

Dammit, that's 26.

I just cannot bring myself to play a Test series of less than 3 matches. I'd almost prefer not play at all. And an England-SA series or an England-Australia series of less than 5 matches is near-unthinkable and felt most out-of-place last summer. Fortunately it's now been agreed that all D'Oliveira Trophy series' will be of 5 Tests' duration.

I think 21 is an unneccessarily low number TBH - at least, for England. I can see why New Zealand, Sri Lanka and (at the current time) West Indies would be limited to that as they've almost never played long series', but England can easily do away with Twenty20 Internationals to play a few extra Tests. Likewise I will always live in hope that one day we may once again see a five-Test India-Pakistan series (and I don't mean one where the First Test is played on a green seamer \ dustbowl and all the rest on concrete runways).

Of course, 21 is a low number. Therein lies the challenge.

 

[Athlai]

For NZ

Australia 3 Tests
England 5 Tests
India 3 Tests
Pakistan 0 Tests
South Africa 2 Tests
Sri Lanka 5 Tests
West Indies 3 Tests

Or minus a 5 test each and give it to Pakistan.

England and Sri Lanka tend to give us our best matches IMO.

 

[Richard]

How many five-Test series' have NZ played in their history?

And, FTM, how many four-Test series'?

 

[Richard]

Id like to see England play 5 Test series against Aus, SA and WI.
3 Test series against India

and that is it.

You'd prefer play WI than SL at the current time?

 

[BoyBrumby]

Hmm.

Australia - 5
SA - 4
Windies - 3
India - 3
NZ - 3
Pakistan - 2
Sri Lanka - 1

Not ideal, but 21 tests only and all.

 

[G.I.Joe]

England and Sri Lanka tend to give us our best matches IMO.

Surely Bangladesh

 

[Athlai]

How many five-Test series' have NZ played in their history?

And, FTM, how many four-Test series'?

Well if I planned em....

Five 5 Test match series, last one in 1971 vs. WI 0-0
Eight 4 Test match series.
Last time we had a series longer than 3 Tests was in 1999.

Shocker.

 

[Athlai]

Surely Bangladesh

Well if we push an England who beats India and India beats Australia then.... Bangladesh > Australia. Clearly.

 

[Manee]

For India:

Australia 4 tests
England 3 tests
New Zealand 3 tests
Pakistan 3 tests
South Africa 3 tests
Sri Lanka 3 tests
West Indies 2 tests

 

[andruid]

You'd prefer play WI than SL at the current time?

More history and tradition.

 

[Shaggy Alfresco]

Australia: 6 tests
India: 5 tests
South Africa 5 tests
West Indies 5 tests

Let's go back to the 30's and just do that.

 

[silentstriker]

For India:

1. Australia 5 Tests
2. England 5 Tests
3. South Africa 4 Tests
4. New Zealand 2 Tests
5. Sri Lanka 2 Tests
6. Pakistan 2 Tests
7. West Indies 1 Tests

 

[silentstriker]

Id like to see England play 5 Test series against Aus, SA and WI.
3 Test series against India

and that is it.

Surprising considering the recent quality of WI-Eng, compared to, for example, SL-Eng.

 

[SJS]

Assuming you're in charge of deciding the FTP for your nation, and you're strictly allowed only 21 tests against the other 7 major test playing nations over 7 tours, how would you go about distributing those 21 tests?

Personally, for India, I'd go with-

Australia 5 tests
England 4 tests
New Zealand 2 tests
Pakistan 3 tests
South Africa 3 tests
Sri Lanka 2 tests
West Indies 2 tests

I'd like to see India play Australia over 5 tests, given the results of the '04 India series and the '03 and '08 Australia series.

I would never have a 2 Test match series. From your list, I would convert all the two Test series to three tests and play alternatively between West Indies and New Zealand to stick to your limit of 21 Tests.

I would really prefer a four Test series against South Africa also even if it meant reducing the Australian series to four from the five mentioned by you.

 

[G.I.Joe]

I would never have a 2 Test match series. From your list, I would convert all the two Test series to three tests and play alternatively between West Indies and New Zealand to stick to your limit of 21 Tests.

I would really prefer a four Test series against South Africa also even if it meant reducing the Australian series to four from the five mentioned by you.

I like that too.

 

[KiWiNiNjA]

3 against each.

It is this sorta thing that I hate about Test Cricket at the mo.

Id like to see England play 5 Test series against Aus, SA and WI.
3 Test series against India

and that is it.

So exclusionary, to the detriment of Test Cricket.

 

[social]

In our present form

Bangladesh 21 tests in Australia (probably get spun out in Banga)