Stung into action by the astonishing popularity of Twenty20, Cricket Australia is looking at restructuring its summer program to take advantage of the pulling power of the 20-over game.

CA's sales and marketing head Mike McKenna has been instructed to research the game's three formats - Tests, 50-over matches and Twenty20 - to determine where they stand among the sport's administration and general public.

CA is preparing for what looms as a watershed moment when its local contracts with host broadcasters Nine Network and Fox Sports expire in 2012-13, with some insiders believing this could be the time for a "clean slate" and to remodel the schedule.

A number of possibilities are being canvassed but one thing is certain - the increasingly popular domestic Twenty20 Big Bash will be expanded both in terms of the number of teams and duration. It has been suggested the number of Big Bash games could almost double - from 17 to 31 - as CA looks to cater for the public's changing tastes.

Australia currently plays 10 ultimately meaningless one-day internationals per summer - this year there were five each against the West Indies and Pakistan with plummeting attendances a major concern.

An increased focus on the Big Bash could mean the number of limited overs internationals are capped at three each against the two touring nations - provided the broadcaster and major sponsor are happy to take a cut.

A reduction in the number of 50-overs games has the endorsement of Australian captain Ricky Ponting, who blamed a glut of matches this season for poor crowds.

The Big Bash will then be expanded from 17 to 31 games, with two extra teams introduced into growth areas.

Teams could also become franchises rather than state-based, allowing, for instance, Melbourne and Geelong teams, as opposed to a Bushrangers side run by Cricket Victoria.

"That may not happen straightaway but in the medium to long term, that's where things will go," a cricket insider said.

Teams could also become part of a world-wise franchise. The Indian Premier League's Rajasthan Royals, skippered by Shane Warne, have already put in a pitch to Cricket Victoria and Twenty20 teams in England, South Africa and the West Indies to play under the "Royals2020" brand.

The Big Bash, with CA desperately keen to have its own lucrative rival to the IPL, and international cricket will almost certainly continue to be televised on separate networks.

But a key to the Big Bash's future will be ensuring Australia's international stars can play most, if not all, matches.

To do that, the international season could close once the traditional New Year's Test in Sydney concludes on January 7 - allowing the Big Bash to start a few days later and run as the main attraction until early February.

"Broadcasters will really want the Test stars to play and, for CA, that will help bump up the value of the rights," another insider said.

CA chief executive James Sutherland recently told the Australian Financial Review: "Having a portfolio of products we have, there is an opportunity for a greater public engagement with cricket through a bigger Big Bash," he said.

"Part of that is creating some cleaner space for that Big Bash in the Australian summer. So cleaner space infers there may not be international cricket played at the same time.

"And within that, you can also infer that Australian players may become available to play in the Big Bash for a period of time."

An indication of life post-2012 comes next season. In a break from tradition, a Twenty20 international and three one-day internationals against Sri Lanka will now act as the prelude for the summer's showpiece event - the battle for the Ashes.

CA has been criticised in recent years for not beginning the summer with enough "bang", and officials hope a burst of short-form cricket will do just that.

England will also play seven one-day internationals and two Twenty20 internationals in the customary slot - at the back end of the summer.

Even under a revised program, it's expected England will continue to play at least a handful of one-day internationals on all Ashes tours because support for the tourists means grounds will almost certainly be filled.

While planning for a new-look schedule gets underway, CA has also not ruled out re-introducing the one-day tri-series for the 2011-12 campaign.

India will be one of the touring nations and matches beamed into the sub-continent are a major television revenue raiser for CA.

While neutral matches between non-Australian teams lack local interest and were a major reason why the tournament which revolutionised the sport under the late Kerry Packer has been put on ice, CA knows the more matches involving India the better its bottom line will be.

However, the Nine Network's head of sport Steve Crawley says the tri-series did not work and has endorsed the new head-to-head model.