WA sign Gayle, Tasmania focus on Malinga

Chris Gayle has signed with Western Australia and Tasmania is close to securing the services of Lasith Malinga for next season's domestic Twenty20 tournament. The high-profile moves come as Cricket Australia announced plans to expand the Big Bash competition - including the possible adoption of a city-based franchise model - after talks with South Africa and New Zealand on the proposed Southern Premier League stalled.

Gayle will join West Indies teammate Dwayne Bravo, who has already signed with Victoria, in next season's Big Bash. The domestic tournament falls between West Indies' Test and one-day series in Australia, and has been made possible by CA's move to provide states with an additional $50,000 for the sole purpose of luring overseas stars for the Twenty20 tournament.

"Given the profile and the importance of the KFC Big Bash competition we felt there was a need to recruit a leading player in world cricket, and with Chris we have secured one of the game's best Twenty20 players," Western Australia's coach Tom Moody said. "Not only is he one of the most exciting batsmen in the game, he adds ... significant leadership to the group as an international captain."

Gayle is one of the finest Twenty20 batsmen in the world and remains the only man to have scored a century in a Twenty20 international. His decision to head to Perth represents a major coup for Western Australia, who originally qualified for the Champions League Twenty20 only to have their hopes dashed when last year's tournament was cancelled and they failed to requalify in 2008-09.

The prestige of the Big Bash will be further enhanced if, as expected, Malinga signs with Tasmania. The Sri Lankan paceman has established a reputation as one of the premier pacemen in international Twenty20 competition, and was a leading light for the Mumbai Indians in the most recent IPL. He could be joined in the Big Bash by countryman Kumar Sangakkara, who has been targeted by New South Wales.

News of Gayle's signing with Western Australia coincided with CA's announcement of a major expansion to its domestic Twenty20 tournament from next season. The move comes after New Zealand and South Africa raised concerns over the scheduling of a proposed Southern Premier League, effectively scuppering the three-nation domestic Twenty20 tournament for the forseeable future.

"All member nations remain attracted to the idea of an SPL, but at this stage, the deliberations about the new FTP beyond 2012 have taken priority," James Sutherland, CA's chief executive, told Cricinfo. "We thought that the most obvious window for the SPL would be in and around October, but with uncertainty around the future scheduling of international cricket, that has not eventuated, at least in the short-term.

"It's still out there as a concept, and may be revisited in time. For now, our focus will be on building and expanding our own domestic competition, then we may take another look at a Tri-Nations or a Super 14 (rugby) model."

Sutherland has commissioned an internal study on the development of domestic Twenty20 cricket in Australia which, in the immediate term, will likely result in an expanded schedule. The adoption of an IPL-style franchise system will also be considered, although such a move may encounter resistance from the states, many of whom are already upset at what they perceive to be a lack of consultation over the growth of the domestic Twenty20 game.

"I think you will see improvements rolled out over time," Sutherland said. "We will look very closely in the short-term at increasing the volume of matches and the timing of them. We could even look at a new structure along the lines of a city-based, privately-owned franchise system, but it's too early at this stage to predict exactly which way this will all go."