Frustration lingers at new one-day format

If you think watching Australia's new domestic split-innings one-dayers will be odd, imagine how the players feel. The 45-over competition begins next Wednesday and some players, particularly those from Victoria and South Australia who have been at the Champions League, have not so much as played a practice match.

It's in this strange environment that men on the fringe of Australia's ODI side must impress if they are to win a place in the World Cup squad, which is chosen in December. When the concept was being developed, 78% of players rejected the idea and less than a week from the first game, there is still some frustration lingering among the players.

"It is [frustrating], to be honest," the Western Australia batsman Adam Voges told ESPNcricinfo this week. "I was one of the players who voted against it when the surveys came around but they say it's here to stay. It is a little bit frustrating from that point of view. Unfortunately there's not a lot we can do about it, so we'll get on with it and we play the Vics here on Friday and that will be our first taste of it."

While some of the Western Australians have trialed the format during a pre-season camp in Malaysia, Voges had not yet returned from his county commitments. He is one of a number of players who will be in contention for a World Cup place without being an automatic selection and he must now aim to outperform his batting rivals in an unfamiliar game.

"There's plenty of guys around Australia who are hoping to be in that World Cup squad," Voges said. "It's not a disadvantage to anyone, because we're all playing that format. It just would have been nice to continue playing that [50-over] format up until the World Cup, but we can see Cricket Australia's point of view too."

That point of view is that the fans will enjoy 45-over games in which each team's innings is split into two sections of 20 and 25 overs. Powerplays have been abolished, any one bowler can send down a maximum of 12 overs and teams can use 12 players, though only 11 may bat and 11 may bowl.

As a result, players like Voges will only have a chance to prove their 50-over form before World Cup selection if they are called up for three ODIs against India in October or three against Sri Lanka in early November. South Australia's Callum Ferguson, who has recently made his comeback from a knee reconstruction, is in the same boat.

"That might make it a little bit more difficult preparing for the World Cup," Ferguson said of the new format. However, he knows that should he make the cut for Australia's title defence, there will be opportunities in the one-day international arena when Australia host England for seven ODIs after the Ashes.

"If I did happen to make my way in to that World Cup squad, hopefully I'd be able to get some 50-over cricket somewhere else leading in to that tournament," Ferguson said. "But any cricket is good cricket, in my eyes."

The Victoria batsman David Hussey could be competing with Voges and Ferguson for a place at what would be his first World Cup. Although he has not played an ODI since August last year, Hussey is philosophical about the changes and hopes the selectors will consider his strong 50-over history at domestic level.

"Hopefully playing a bit of one-day cricket before and my record from years gone past hopefully holds me in good stead for World Cup selection," Hussey said. "It's a new format, it's what the public wants. It's definitely in place for this year and I'm pretty sure Cricket Australia want to keep it going for a few years yet to come."

Cricket Australia has not ruled out 50-over practice matches for players on the fringe of the ODI outfit ahead of World Cup selection. However, there are unlikely to be many surprises when the selectors make their decision and the regular limited-overs players still have 13 one-day internationals ahead of them before their title defence kicks off in February.

"We're confident that people [already] playing one-day international cricket are going to be the core of the group that defends the World Cup," Cricket Australia's spokesman Peter Young said. "But people showing good form in this [split-innings] format are going to be doing their causes good."

The National One-Day Cup - as yet there is no naming-rights sponsor - kicks off on Wednesday when Queensland host Tasmania at the Gabba. Other rule changes include a new ball being used from each end at the start of an innings, with no replacement new balls to be taken as in ODIs.