As the ongoing World Test Championship moves into full swing, all twelve ICC Full Members are set to play Test cricket this coming year, with plenty of exciting and competitive series to look forward to.
Below is the complete men’s Test schedule for the upcoming calendar year.
England – 16 Tests
England are set to start the year with a difficult tour of India. They will play five Tests in total, from January to March, where the surprise inclusion of Shoaib Bashir may have a significant role to play.
Later in the year, England are set to welcome the West Indies for three Tests in July, and Sri Lanka for three more in August and September.
England’s Test side will spend the last quarter of the year travelling, as they are set to tour Pakistan for a three-Test series in October, before finishing off the calendar year with three more Tests in New Zealand.
Australia – 10 Tests
Australia start the year with the final Test of their ongoing series against Pakistan on January 2, with David Warner expected to get his SCG swansong.
The cricketing summer down under will continue with two home Tests against the touring West Indies, after which the Aussies will travel to New Zealand for two Test matches commencing in late February.
They will then have a rest before finishing 2024 with an enticing five-Test series against the touring India side in November and December.
India – 16 Tests
India’s Test side will start 2024 with the final Test of their ongoing tour of South Africa, immediately after which they will return home to host England for an intriguing five-match series.
Later in the year, in September and October, they will welcome Bangladesh for two Tests and New Zealand for three, before travelling to Australia in November to cap off the year with another challenging away tour of Australia, where they will play five Tests.
Pakistan – 10 Tests
Pakistan will start 2024 in Australia, to play the last of their three Tests down under, before returning home to host the West Indies for two matches commencing in late February.
In the second half of the year, Pakistan will play a visiting Bangladesh team in two Tests in August and September, after which they will welcome the Barmy Army as England are set to tour Pakistan for three Tests.
Pakistan will finish their red ball calendar with a two-match away series in South Africa.
New Zealand – 13 Tests
New Zealand’s 13 Tests are a welcome increase on the seven they played in 2023. Their first assignment is a two-game home series against South Africa in February, immediately followed by two more Tests against the visiting Australian side in March.
Following a five-month window without red-ball cricket, New Zealand will play a sole away Test against Afghanistan in September, after which they will play five more away games, two in Sri Lanka and three in India, in October and November.
They will then cap off their relatively busy red-ball calendar with three home Tests vs England.
South Africa – 11 Tests
South Africa kick off 2024 with their second home Test against India, starting on January 3. They will then travel to New Zealand in February to play two matches.
After five months without Test cricket, South Africa will tour the West Indies for two games in August, after which they will travel to Bangladesh for two more Tests in October and November.
They will then return home to end the year with two more two-Test series in November and December, against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Sri Lanka – 9 Tests
Sri Lanka will start 2024 with a lone home Test against Afghanistan in January before making the trip to Bangladesh for two Tests in February and March.
In the second half of 2024, Sri Lanka will travel to England in August for two Tests, after which they return home to welcome New Zealand for a two-match series in September and October, after which they will tour South Africa in November to end the year with yet another two-match series.
West Indies – 11 Tests
The West Indies start the year with a daunting tour of Australia, where they will play the reigning WTC champions for a two-game series. They then stay on the road, travelling to Pakistan for another two-match series in February and March, before being welcomed by England for three Tests in July.
The West Indies will finish 2024 with two two-match home series, against South Africa in August and against Bangladesh in November and December.
Bangladesh – 14 Tests
Bangladesh will play seven different two-match series. They will welcome Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe for two separate tours from February to April, after which they will play three away series, against Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India, from August to October.
They will then welcome South Africa to Bangladesh in October, before travelling to the West Indies in November, to end their hectic red-ball year.
Afghanistan – 7 Tests
Promoted to Test match status just six years ago, Afghanistan are finally set to play a substantial number of Tests this year.
They are expected to play two Tests in January, one against Ireland and the other against Sri Lanka. Later in the year, they are set to host Bangladesh for a two-match series in July and New Zealand for a one-off Test in September, before ending the year with two away Tests against Zimbabwe in December.
Ireland – 2 Tests
Ireland are set to play only two Test matches in 2024, one away against Afghanistan in January and the other against Zimbabwe at home.
Zimbabwe – 5 Tests
Zimbabwe will tour Bangladesh for two games in April, travel to Ireland for a one-off Test in August, and will also get the chance to play in front of their own fans in December when they host Afghanistan for a two-match series.
