Twenty20 stars get boost as part of new memorandum of understanding between Cricket Australia and ACA

As CA prepares to release expanded lists of central deals for both men and women, CODE Sports can reveal that the new memorandum understanding – officially unveiled on Monday – features a change to the upgrade points system, one which adds greater weight for men’s T20 internationals.

In addition to the list of national contracts awarded annually, players without CA deals can automatically qualify for upgrades to full contracts should they reach a trigger of 12 match points over the contract window.

As it stood under the previous MOU, male players received five points per Test appearance, two per one-day international and one for each T20 international.

Off-spinner Todd Murphy reached that trigger after playing his third Test in the recent series against India.

T20 middle-order blaster David narrowly missed out on an automatic upgrade after playing 11 T20 internationals across September and October last year, leaving him one short of the required dozen.

However under the terms of the new MOU between CA and the Australian Cricketers’ Association, T20 internationals are now worth two points for men, bringing them into line with the women’s points system. Test and ODI point allotments remain the same.

This means that a player like David would need to play only six T20Is in the qualification window to have access to a contract upgrade.

BBL stars Ashton Turner and Matt Short could be potential beneficiaries should they get call-ups for Australia’s T20 series against South Africa and India later this year, as selectors turn their attention to next year’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and the US.

The women’s central contract list is set to be announced on Wednesday, while the men’s list is expected to be revealed on Thursday.

The new MOU brings greater contract places for both pools, with the women moving from 15 spots to 18 and the men going from a 17-20 player range to a 20-24 range.

Retired batters Rachael Haynes and Aaron Finch will both drop off national contract lists, however fringe players will be given more opportunities under the new MOU terms.

While the women’s game overall and men’s Big Bash League were both major beneficiaries from the new MOU, male state rookie spots have decreased from a maximum of six to a maximum of five.