Melbourne, Oct. 1 : Cricket Australia has announced a revamped second-tier competition aimed to encourage young players and especially spin bowlers.

Each second XI team, from the six Sheffield Shield sides plus the ACT, will be allowed only three players over the age of 23.

The first innings for each side in the three-day matches can include up to 96 overs but a second new ball won''t be available.

And a wicket taken by a spinner will gain a bonus of 0.10 points for the fielding side.

Cricket Australia hopes this will encourage fielding captains to make more use of their spinners and batting skippers to make aggressive declarations.

The competition was formerly known as the CA Cup but has been rebadged as the Futures League.

The announcement comes following Australia''s failed Ashes campaign in England earlier this year and the urgent need to uncover talented young international players, particularly slow bowlers.

"Australia has arguably the strongest interstate cricket competition in the world and the Futures League adds further strength to our pathway and the development opportunities for our emerging cricketers," CA general manager Michael Brown said.

"We have high hopes that these competitions, with time, will gather national and international credibility as a breeding ground for talented cricketers," Brown added. (ANI)