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ZIMBABWE have announced an extended domestic season, running from December until the end of August, incorporating both club and provincial cricket.The schedule consists of the Logan Cup (first-class matches) for the four provinces, a forty-over Zimbabwe Premier League (ZPL), fifty-over List A games for the provinces, two T20 tournament windows and opportunities for the under-19 side to face the provinces.

The second edition of the ZPL was set to kick off the season from December 10.

The tournament is run in league format, with no final, and is contested between eight clubs across four cities.

More interest would likely be on the provincial matches, especially after Zimbabwe scrapped the franchise system at the end of last season.

The national players would be part of this competition, depending on it for form and fitness ahead of the series against Sri Lanka next June.

Zimbabwe Cricket is anxious to find other opponents to avoid spending more than six months off the international stage.

But that is dependent on cash-flow as much as it is on other teams’ availability.

And it may be that the board has to rely on domestic structures alone to keep the game alive.

To that end, the Logan Cup would feature 12 rounds — each team plays the other four times — from December to May.

The 50-over List A tournament in the winter would have the same number of matches. Harare, Bulawayo, Kwekwe and Mutare have been chosen as the venues, however, there has been no confirmation over whether the provincial sides have issued contracts to players yet.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s head coach Heath Streak, who oversaw their progression into the final of the recently-completed triangular series which featured Sri Lanka and West Indies, is in the UAE completing a Level Three coaching coach at the ICC. — Cricinfo.