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Cricket Australia has decided to go ahead with the changes to their domestic one-day format, which will now see double-innings game played over a period of one day. The new format will consist of 45-over games, which will be broken over two innings, and that will mean that the international players will play the fifty overs only at the ODI level.

Originally, the plan was to have 45-overs, split innings games for the domestic tournament only when the international cricketers were away with their international commitments. However, the plan was changed and first game with the new format will be played on 6 October between Queensland and Tasmania at the Gabba.

The major issue for the international players will now be to get suitable practice for the 2011 edition of the World Cup that begins from February next year. Australia is the three-time defending champion in the tournament. To counter this, Cricket Australia is toying with the idea of playing 50-over games between two teams, the ‘possibles’ and the ‘probables’, before the start of the World Cup.

However, to be fair to Cricket Australia, neither England, nor South Africa play fifty-overs cricket at the domestic level.

The reasoning behind the split innings format is to allow for more strategy from the captains of the two sides. The new rules will see the first innings of 20 overs, which will be followed by a 25-over innings, with teams of 12 players each. There will not be any Powerplay overs like now, and the bowlers will be allowed to bowl a couple of bouncers per over, apart from being allowed to bowl a maximum of 12 overs each.

The fielding restrictions will be pre-imposed, with the captains having no say in the matter. In the first five overs of the innings, there will be a maximum of two fielders allowed outside the circle. Similarly, between 21 and 25 overs, there will be two allowed outside the circle. For the rest of the overs, a maximum of four players will be allowed outside the circle.

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This post was submitted by rishi maurya.

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