Cricket Australia made two significant announcements on Tuesday, with both pointing towards bold new futures for Australian cricket.

The first, paving the way for the second, was the announcement of a twelve-month extension of the Memorandum of Understanding between CA and the Australian Cricketers' Association. This seemingly innocuous press release marks an important watershed in Australian cricket governance.

Cricket Australia explained that the extension of the existing deal was caused by uncertainty regarding the new city-based Big Bash League. The inference from cricket HQ is that until the private ownership of the various BBL franchises is resolved, the exact size of the revenue pie to be shared amongst the game's professionals is unknown. By extending the previous arrangement both sides in the negotiation acknowledged that they were not in a position to commit the medium to long-term future of the Australian game. Chief Executive of the ACA, Paul Marsh, described the deal as "pragmatic," allowing planning for the 2011-12 season to begin whilst negotiations continue behind the scenes.

The private ownership model of the BBL is clearly a calculated risk. With player free agency, more acute commercial imperatives and the IPL juggernaut as its model, the new league is a step into the unknown. In short, neither side is confident what impact the new structure of domestic T20 is going to have, so both have sensibly opted for a wait-and-see approach over the next twelve months.

One significant consequence from this outlined deal, which will surely be fleshed out before the start of the 2012-13 season, is the probability of professional T20-only players. With the move to a city-based competition, states no longer require T20 specialists on their books and have therefore had their allocation of player contracts reduced. Players meanwhile, have been given free agency and the freedom to negotiate with BBL sides, within the salary cap. This is likely to result in a tranche of T20 specialists who will opt to compete in the various T20 competitions internationally, without risking any contract with CA or their state. Shaun Tait is the obvious early candidate to be such a globetrotting pioneer.

The MOU extension allowed CA to release its list of centrally contracted players for the 2011-12 season.

Added to last year's 25-man list are: Patrick Cummins, Xavier Doherty, John Hastings, David Hussey, Usman Khawaja, Jason Krejza and James Pattinson.

The exclusions from last year's list are: James Hopes, Simon Katich, Andrew McDonald, Clint McKay, Marcus North, Shaun Tait and Adam Voges.

Those retained are: Doug Bollinger, Michael Clarke, Callum Ferguson, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Nathan Hauritz, Ben Hilfenhaus, Phil Hughes, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Ricky Ponting, Peter Siddle, Steve Smith, Shane Watson and Cameron White.

Of the inclusions, all except Cummins have been in or around one of the three incarnations of the national side in the last twelve months. At just 18 and with only a single season of state cricket behind him, Cummins will be seen as the bolter. He should be taken very seriously though as he has express pace, a strong action and a powerful body for such a young cricketer. His performances for NSW last year, particularly in the T20 competition, catapulted him up the ranks and he could be this summer's hot property.

The selections of the two Tasmanian spinners suggests the Michael Beer experiment is over and both will go head-to-head for a single space in both the Test and ODI sides.

Of the exclusions, McDonald and McKay can consider themselves unfortunate as injuries dogged any half-chances they were offered. Hopes clearly fell out of favour some time ago, while North's poor form could not be tolerated any longer. David Hussey has played his way into Voges' fringe batting all-rounder slot, while patience has worn thin with the brittle Tait.

Which leaves one name. The name plenty of column inches will be dedicated to over the course of the next few days. The name that will be dredged up relentlessly over the summer should Philip Hughes underperform or Michael Clarke's modern metrosexual ways look to be influencing the Australian dressing room. I am, of course, talking about Simon Katich.

Katich can count himself unlucky to not be regarded as one of the best 25 cricketers in Australia. However, on closer inspection, in a side that urgently requires regenerating, his claims to a space in the top order diminish. With Clarke as captain, Watson as the form opener and Ponting and Hussey the A-grade mentors, that leaves just two spaces remaining to blood new batting talent. Hughes, Khawaja, Marsh and Ferguson have to be given their chances at some point and with the key milestones of Ashes and World Cups now some way in the future, this is the opportune moment to see if the best of the rest can cut it.

Katich will be 36 by the time the next season begins, with a series of debilitating injuries preventing him from bowling his useful part time spin. His body held out for just two Ashes Tests last summer, during which he averaged just over 24. Before that, he averaged 27.5 on a two-Test tour of India.

Because of how he relished rearguard actions, represented the old-school in the dressing room and occupied the crease at what at times seemed just sheer bloody-mindedness, Katich is well-liked in the game, and especially in some sections of the media. Assuming he doesn't retire, which seems unlikely, he will doubtless return to captain NSW to further glory and demolish domestic bowling attacks in the process.

After a summer clamouring for change and the introduction of young blood, Cricket Australia's selectors have hinted at delivering. The 2011-12 summer will see a new, young captain leading a squad capable of accepting the generational handover. After supporting a raft of underperforming favourites for the last two years, I hope the same administration has the patience to give the future of Australian cricket the time it requires to return its country to its former glory.