 After beating a Pakistan A team in Ceylon and a full Indian team in India in 1964–65, Ceylon looked to a tour of England in 1968 to advance their case to be elevated to Test status.A schedule of 19 matches was arranged from early June to early August, including a match at Lord's against the MCC, nine first-class matches against county teams, and five other first-class matches.However, the Board of Control for Cricket in Ceylon had insufficient money to pay for the trip, and private donations had to be sought.