SYDNEY, Dec 3: Australia’s triangular one-day cricket series has been shelved to alleviate programming problems, Cricket Australia (CA) said on Monday.

Australia, India and Sri Lanka will participate in the 29th tri-series in February, but the 2008-09 summer season will have a new look with CA to schedule Australia to play separate, five-match head-to-head one-day series against South Africa and New Zealand.

Australia will also play three Tests and one Twenty20 game against both the Proteas and Black Caps next summer, and the same format will take place in 2009-10, when the West Indies and Pakistan tour here.

CA said it would assess the success of both seasons before deciding whether to revert to the tri-series, an annual competition since 1979-80, or abandon it for good when England next tour in 2010-11.

Critics claim the tri-series has been too long, predictable and contained many neutral games.

But CA said its change had more to do with gaining extra flexibility over scheduling.

This southern summer has highlighted the difficulties confronting CA, as India’s current home series against Pakistan means Anil Kumble’s side will not arrive here for a fortnight, leaving Australia short of international cricket in what is usually its busiest time.

“It’s a better fit for us to have teams come in for a short, sharp visit,” CA Chief Executive James Sutherland said on Monday. “Whether the Tests or one-dayers are together or they’re split, or they’re in a block, that’s something we can vary from series to series and from year to year.”—AFP