Cricket Australia considering radical one-day changes

Split-innings games offering bowlers more incentives and the possibility of a batsman getting two lives are some of the options being considered by Cricket Australia as it plans a comprehensive makeover to revive the one-day format. The radical changes are part of an overhaul that will be trialed in next summer's domestic competition if the ideas gain board approval next month.

While viewer figures remain healthy for Australia's ODIs, crowd figures have fallen and there is a fear the concept will become irrelevant following the explosion of Twenty20 and the traditional popularity of Tests. Cricket Australia hopes that if the revamp is successful the rest of the cricketing world could be convinced that the format is worthy of being adopted for the 2015 World Cup.

The major adjustments involve a proposed reduction to 40 overs a side, which is split into two 20-over innings, and 10 wickets for each team. In the hope of maintaining interest in the contest for longer the other innovative additions include:

• One batsman dismissed in the first innings may be used again in the second innings, similar to a designated hitter in baseball
• A minimum of four bowlers to be used without any other restrictions
• Two bouncers between shoulder and head height allowed an over, an increase of one
• More generosity on legside wides
• Two fielders outside the inner fielding circle in the first five overs of each innings, and a maximum of four during overs six to 20

"One-day cricket is not in massive decline, but it is in slight decline and we need to do something to prevent a massive decline," Cricket Australia's marketing manager Julian Dunne said. "This plan is not signed off but it has been developed from 1200 surveys and six focus groups in Sydney and Melbourne. People tell us they love one-day cricket, but that there is an opportunity to improve it."

The opening round of the FR Cup, Australia's domestic limited-overs competition, is pencilled in for the new conditions before reverting to the standard 50-over fare until the one-day international representatives are required for duty. Split-innings fixtures will then conclude the season, including for the final.

While it is keen to experiment, Cricket Australia does not want to disrupt the preparations of Ricky Ponting's men in their push for a fourth World Cup victory in a row in the subcontinent early next year. Under the trial a specialist ODI-player like James Hopes would appear in one split-innings match and four regular fixtures for Queensland. Australia's Test players will be briefed about the developments following the opening Test against Pakistan in London.