Ponting slams new format

Ponting: Doubts

The players probably felt that they didn't have the input that they probably would have liked to have had. I know there's been a lot of speculation about how it's going to be played, but it's up to the players now to play it as well as they can and make it a good spectacle.

Ricky Ponting
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Australia's new domestic one-day format could damage the World Cup preparations of fringe players according to captain Ricky Ponting.

Ponting has expressed serious doubts about the new format, which will see the traditional 50-over game replaced by a 45-over match, split into two innings of 20 and 25 overs.

Cricket Australia announced the changes, to be trialled this season, last month in an effort to revive flagging interest in the shorter format game.

But Ponting believes that, with the World Cup starting in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in February, CA's timing is poor.

Speaking to reporters in Hobart on Saturday, he said that the move could harm the prospects of up and coming players trying to break into the national side.

"We need to be playing as much 50-over cricket as we can with the World Cup just around the corner," he said.

"It'll be OK for the guys who are in the national side, we'll probably play another 12 or 13 one-dayers before the one-day World Cup comes around."

Disappointed

"(But) the guys on the fringe who are playing domestic cricket won't play any 50-over games really until that World Cup."

Ponting also hit out at CA's failure to consult properly with players before making the decision to change the way the game is played.

"The players probably felt that they didn't have the input that they probably would have liked to have had," he added.

"I know there's been a lot of speculation about how it's going to be played, but it's up to the players now to play it as well as they can and make it a good spectacle."

The Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) has also criticised the new format, with chief executive Paul Marsh expressing concern at the lack of consultation.

"For the people that play and know the game better than anyone, this process has been difficult to comprehend and players are very disappointed," he said at the time of CA announcement.

"Players are open to changes to any format of the game that can make the game better, but they don't believe the split innings format is the best solution."