MTN40 may be changed to 50 overs

South African domestic cricket may be headed for a shake-up in order to prepare players for the 2015 World Cup. The current limited-overs tournament that comprises 40 overs per side, the MTN40, will come under the microscope and may be changed to match the ODI format.

"Before the World Cup, we thought that the ICC may change the 50-over format, but now we can see that it's here to stay," Andrew Hudson, national convenor of selectors, told ESPNcricinfo. "In order to prepare for the next World Cup, we need to mirror the format of international cricket as closely as possible."

The recently-completed World Cup in the subcontinent revived interest in what was considered the dying species of cricket. Talk in cricket circles before the tournament was that the number of overs in ODIs would be reduced in order to attract more viewers, in the same way 20-over cricket has done. That thought has now been dispelled to the back of the queue of cricket innovations, which may cause countries like South Africa and Australia, who were gearing up for change, to revert back to the traditional 50-over format in their domestic cricket.

South Africa's domestic limited-overs competition has been a 45-over event since the 1995-96 season when Benson and Hedges sponsored the tournament. It remained that way under sponsorships from Standard Bank and MTN for the next several seasons.

In the 2005-06 season, when the ICC was experimenting with the use of a super-sub and powerplays, South Africa followed suit. They allowed a substitute player and added two powerplays, one of 10 overs and one of five in the domestic limited-overs competition.

Two seasons ago, the tournament was reduced to 40 overs per side. MTN claimed that the reduction of overs made for a "more fast-paced and intense game than the traditional 45-overs match."

The season after that, 2010-11, the format was tweaked again. Three powerplays, the first one mandatory for the first ten overs and the next two of five overs each to be taken any time before the 36th over, were introduced. All 13 players in a squad could be used in the match, which allowed for substitutions again, and, borrowing from the IPL, a five-minute strategic time-out was introduced at the midway stage.

Australia also experimented drastically last season with their limited-overs competition, which had previously been of 50 overs. They reduced the number of overs to 45 and played that over split innings of 20 and 25 overs each.

England, like South Africa, play 40 overs and have scrapped the 50-over domestic competition altogether. Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies and New Zealand play a 50-over competition, in keeping with the current ODI format. India play two domestic one-day competitions, the Vijay Hazare and Deodhar, both 50 overs. Interestingly, the four countries who qualified for the semi-finals of the World Cup, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Zealand all play the same format domestically as ODIs.