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Australia will have a double incentive to find top form in this summer's VB Series, which began with a day-night encounter against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.

Ricky Ponting's men will be desperate to banish the memories of last summer's campaign against New Zealand and South Africa when the home side failed to reach the finals of the annual tri-series for only the third time since the tournament began in 1979-80.

And if Australia can do that by lifting the VB Series trophy against England and Sri Lanka, it will go a long way to ensuring the side retains its leadership of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) newly-constituted one-day international championship table.

Australia currently tops that table after a run of just four defeats in its last 18 matches played under Ponting, and will receive the new ICC one-day international Championship Shield from ICC President Malcolm Gray before Friday's sell-out match.

But with close rivals South Africa in impressive recent form, Ponting will know his side just has to keep winning to retain the Shield, which goes to the side that secures leadership of the ladder.

The significance of this summer's VB Series, which starts just two months before next year's ICC Cricket World Cup in Southern Africa, is reflected in the public's interest in the matches with more than 112,000 tickets already sold for the tournament.

That is a rise of over 12,000 tickets from the same stage last season and almost 30,000 more than when these three sides last faced each other in Australia, in the 1998-99 Carlton & United Series, when Australia beat England 2-0 in the finals series.

This summer's three competing sides will also have massive financial rewards to play for in the tournament that this season spans the Christmas and New Year period.

The total prize pool for the VB Series is almost A$180,000 with the side that tops the table after the 12 preliminary matches securing A$70,000, while the second-placed side gets A$40,000 and the third-placed team takes away A$15,000.

The side that then wins the finals will get an additional A$50,000.

For individuals there is also a financial incentive with the man of the match in each preliminary game collecting A$1000, while the same award in any of the finals is worth A$1250.

All awards come with a Carlton & United Breweries trophy. This VB Series will also see a new ICC points system for the preliminary round table used for the first time in Australia.

Six points will go to a side that wins with a bonus point, with five points for a victory without a bonus point.

Conversely, the side that loses without conceding a bonus point will get one point but a side that loses and concedes a bonus point will get nothing.

There are three points to each side for a match that finishes in a tie or a no-result.

Some start times have also altered for this season. Matches in Melbourne and Sydney will start at 1415, in Brisbane games will begin at 1315, Perth matches start at 1330, Adelaide games will get underway at 1345 and the Australia-England match in Hobart will start at 1000 (all times listed are local Australian time).

If the VB finals series goes to a third and deciding match, that game will be hosted by Adelaide for the first time, on January 27.

After Australia and England contest the first two matches of the tournament in Sydney (13 December) and Melbourne (15 December), Sri Lanka plays its first match of the tournament against England in Brisbane on December 17, one of five preliminary matches to be played before Christmas. The tournament then resumes following the fourth and fifth Orange Test matches between Australia and England when the home side plays Sri Lanka in Sydney on 9 January.

(courtesy ACB)

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