Players back tri-series revamp

A proposed change in the annual tri-series format has received backing from Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden, who believe the concept is tired. Cricket Australia is considering swapping the schedule from almost six weeks of matches to two head-to-head contests for 2008-09.

Starting as the World Series Cup in 1979-80, the idea was Kerry Packer's, but the senior players believe after almost 30 years it is time for a change. "The system has got a little bit tired,'' Hayden told AAP. "If you've got a decreased number of games but a highly competitive tournament it's an asset."

The series involving Australia, India and Sri Lanka, which starts in February, involves 12 group games before the best-of-three finals. "Towards the back end of the tri-series if one side, like Australia has done for a long time, has dominated the competition, there does seem to be a lot of dead rubber games," Hayden said. "That could be Hobart's [only] game and I believe they deserve a more meaningful game.''

Matches between the two visiting teams have also struggled for support in recent years and Gilchrist said Cricket Australia needed to determine if they could improve the product. "It would be interesting to see what the public think," he said. "It will be interesting to see how the public attends the coming summer's triangular series, that might give us a bit more of an indication.''

Cricket Australia's board was planning to discuss the change during a meeting on Friday, but the programme for 2008-09, which includes New Zealand and South Africa, will not be finalised until March. Expanding the Ashes series to six Tests is also on the agenda.