Cricket Australia has leapt to the defence of its proposed domestic one-day game revamp, insisting it will fully consult players.
CA says it will fully consult players over split innings proposal
Cricket Australia has leapt to the defence of its proposed revamp of the domestic one-day game, insisting 'this is still a work-in-progress'.
Players including Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey have said they would rather keep the current form of the game after CA announced last week that it would trial a split innings format in the Ford Ranger Cup with the long term view of introducing it to one-day internationals.
But CA chief executive James Sutherland has sought to allay these fears, insisting Australian and state players would be given a chance to provide their feedback on split innings one-day cricket.
He said: "We will show players, including those now on the tour of England, the public research.
Better positioning
"Cricket lovers say that ODI cricket captures the broadest interest of the three formats, and it is supported with strong passion, but it is a game that needs better positioning and a format review if it is to remain popular in the long-term.
"There has been a lot of public discussion since the CA board last week approved we go ahead with a format review, but this is still a work-in-progress.
"The idea of split innings was popular with fans and we are keen at this stage to look at a 10 wickets-a-side, split-innings concept to see if it is feasible from public, player, broadcaster and commercial partners' points of view.
"We accept that we need to listen to what the public wants but we also need to be sure that ideas are practical, and most important, are acceptable to world cricket and capable in the long-term of being considered for international cricket."
But Australia one-day captain Ponting said he was against moving away from the traditional 50-overs-each match.
Traditional game
"Personally, I wouldn't like to see it go that way. I would like to see it remain as a traditional game of cricket," he said.
"Forty wickets in the game it almost goes away from the game of cricket.
"I know Cricket Australia will be talking to the players and all the stakeholders involved in Australian cricket to come up with what they think is going to be the best set of playing conditions for the revamped competition that is going to start in Australia.
"That's where it is at the moment. There's been a little bit of discussion around our team about that and what are the best playing conditions for the new format, and all that will come out in the wash over the next couple of weeks.
"As long as the players are well informed and involved in that decision-making then I'm sure the best result will be achieved."
