International Cricket

ICC FTP 2025-29 South Africa Complete Schedule — Tests, ODIs, T20Is Decoded

Rohan Sharma 15 May 2026 Updated 15 May 2026 ~5 min read ~968 words

ICC FTP 2025-29 South Africa schedule Tests ODIs T20Is

Share this article

South Africa's ICC FTP 2025-29 schedule contains 28 Tests, 30 ODIs and 56 T20Is. The 28-Test allocation is at the lower end of the Tier-1 range. The cycle is built around a heavy 2027 home block including the four-Test India tour and the WTC qualification window. The Test batting collapse pattern, currently the subject of a CSA review, sits at the centre of the cycle's strategic question.

The Test allocation

Twenty-eight Tests split into 16 home and 12 away. The home Tests include the four-Test home India series in late 2026, the home Australia series in late 2027, and the home England series in late 2028. The away Tests include the away Pakistan tour in early 2028 and the away India tour in early 2029.

The ODI allocation

Thirty ODIs are built around the Champions Trophy 2029 build-up and the next ODI World Cup. The bilateral ODI count is at the lower end of Tier-1. The home ODI bilateral against Australia in late 2026 is the cycle's most commercially weighted ODI series.

The T20I allocation

Fifty-six T20Is include the build-up windows for two T20 World Cups. The T20I count is the cycle's heaviest format share. The home T20I bilaterals include India, Australia, England and Pakistan across the cycle. The home T20I share is structurally heavy because of CSA's broadcast revenue model.

The 2027 home block

The 2027 home block is the cycle's most commercially weighted year. The block includes the four-Test home India series in late 2026 carrying into early 2027, the home Australia series in late 2027, and the build-up to Champions Trophy 2029. The block is approximately 10-12 Tests across 14 months. The block is the most important Test cricket window for South Africa in the cycle.

The WTC qualification math

South Africa is currently fifth on the WTC 2025-27 table. To reach the final, SA needs to win four of their next six Tests in the cycle. The current batting average makes that mathematically achievable but not probable. The WTC 2027-29 cycle is the more realistic target. The cycle's schedule supports a WTC 2027-29 push if the batting issue is resolved by 2027.

The senior-pro rebuild window

The cycle covers the natural retirement window for at least three senior SA Test pros. The senior batting cohort will need to be refreshed across the cycle. The succession planning question sits at the centre of the CSA head coach review currently underway. The new coaching staff will be expected to deliver a rebuild that lands by 2028.

The Bavuma captaincy window

Captain Temba Bavuma's contract runs through mid-2027. The cycle covers his natural captaincy retirement window. The Bavuma succession plan, in case of injury or retirement, has not been formally published. The candidates include the current ODI captain and a senior batting all-rounder. The succession will be decided closer to the time.

The home India 2026-27

The four-Test home India series in late 2026 is the cycle's second commercial peak. The series will be played at Centurion, Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. The Test series is preceded by a five-match T20I series. The home India tour total is 12 matches across approximately 10 weeks.

The 2028 home England

The home England series in late 2028 is the cycle's third commercial peak. The three-Test series will be played at Centurion, Cape Town and Johannesburg. The bilateral is followed by a three-match ODI series and a three-match T20I series. The tour total is nine matches across approximately seven weeks.

The SA20 overlap

The SA20 window for the cycle is locked at January-February through 2028. The window overlaps partly with the bilateral cricket calendar. Senior SA players who play in SA20 are released from the bilateral calendar during the window. The overlap is procedurally managed but compresses the bilateral options in the January window.

The franchise pull on senior pros

A subtext to the cycle is the franchise pull on senior SA Test pros. Multiple senior players are now contracted to overseas franchises across the IPL, SA20, ILT20 and PSL. The franchise pull compresses the bilateral cricket availability of the senior cohort. The rotation policy is the procedural tool. The longer-term question is whether the structural pull can be reversed.

What this means for fans

For South African cricket fans, the practical answer is that the 2025-29 cycle delivers a home India tour, a home Australia tour, a home England tour, plus two T20 World Cups and the Champions Trophy. The commercial peak is the home India series 2026-27. The cricket peak is the home India series 2026-27. The strategic question is whether the batting rebuild can land in time for the 2027-29 WTC cycle.

What to watch next: whether the CSA head coach review currently underway produces a split batting coach role (red-ball and white-ball specialists) before the 2027 home India series, because that single structural change is the one that gives the Test batting rebuild a realistic chance of landing in time.