July 18, 2008	Friday	Rajab 14, 1429

SYDNEY, July 17: Cricket Australia (CA) said on Thursday it knew nothing about reports that a team from Down Under was set to be part of a new Twenty20 competition in England.

Plans for an English Premier League (EPL) to begin in 2010 unveiled this week include England’s 18 first-class counties plus two unnamed overseas teams.

The Guardian reported that the overseas teams represent Australia and South Africa but CA said there had been no approach from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

“We’re not aware of the details of the (ECB) proposal,” Sutherland told national news agency AAP. “We are seeking to understand the details.”

Sutherland said on Wednesday that his organisation planned to revamp its own domestic Twenty20 competition in 2010 and hoped to include overseas players.

He said CA was keeping a close eye on international developments in the ultra-short form of the game.

“We’re really aware of a lot of things that are developing at the moment in Twenty20 cricket, particularly with domestic competitions,” Sutherland said.

“We’re already on the record as saying we are planning a revamp of our Twenty20 Big Bash. It will be a larger and [on] different scale in 2009-10 but we see that there is a lot to learn from other parts of the world and we are closely monitoring that.”

Sutherland said that the Australian competition would ideally include international players, although scheduling could be a problem due to the cricket world’s tight calendar.

“The challenges of our summer period, which coincides with the cricket season for eight or nine of the 10 Test-playing countries, means that period from September through to April is a very busy time,” he said.

“There aren’t many opportunities to play state [domestic] cricket. We’d love to see them play more and if we can find a window we will, but it’s not as easy as some might think.”—AFP