Ask James Sutherland: Cricket Australia CEO on National One-Day Cup

This Wednesday witnesses a new dawn in Australian cricket when Queensland host Tasmania in the National One-Day Cup under the radical new split-innings format.

Introduced to facilitate more exciting and attacking cricket, the revamp could revolutionise a form of the game thought to have suffered most by the advent of Twenty20.

The raft of new playing conditions - highlighted by split innings of 20 and 25 overs per team - are of great interest to players and fans alike, and foxsports.com.au is giving you the chance to quiz the lawmakers.

In a rare and special live Q&A session, James Sutherland, chief executive of Cricket Australia, will answer your questions on the National One-Day Cup from 1pm (EDT) on Tuesday, October 5.

Domestic cricket season gets new format

Cricket Australia hopes the debut of its radical split innings format and more Twenty20 matches will reinvigorate the domestic cricket calendar.

Cricket Australia hopes the debut of its radical split innings format and more Twenty20 matches will reinvigorate the domestic cricket calendar.

Fifty-over cricket has been abandoned in favour of the National One-Day Cup, a format that divides an innings into two blocks, the first of 20 overs and the second of 25 overs.

Fans will get a first taste of the new format when Queensland and Tasmania face off at the Gabba on October 6 after CA released its domestic fixtures on Wednesday.

CA has also tweaked the Sheffield Shield fixtures to allow Australia's Test players to represent their states before the Ashes series opener against England, starting on November 25.

"The opportunity for many international players to take part in a component of the ... Sheffield Shield season, which will lead in to our ... Ashes summer, is not a common occurrence and is something that I am sure Australian cricket fans will be keen to see.

"Combined with the successful KFC Big Bash, I believe this is a tremendously strong men's interstate program for 2010-11."

Foxtel will broadcast 22 matches of the National One-Day Cup, while all 20 of the Twenty20 fixtures will be broadcast.

The Sheffield Shield final, to be held over March 17-21, will also be broadcast by the pay TV provider.