Both the ACT Comets and ACT Meteors say they are happy with the draws they have received for the coming summer.

Cricket Australia released the domestic draws yesterday with one notable change being the Futures League, which the Comets won last year. It has changed from three-day to four-day matches.

Comets captain Mark Higgs said this was a good move as the Futures League was a stepping stone to the Sheffield Shield, which involved four-day games.

''I think the move to four days rather than three is a good one in the sense that Futures cricket is a pathway to Sheffield Shield,'' Higgs said yesterday.

Higgs said the ACT not having a Sheffield Shield team acted as motivation for players as they were not only playing for the team but also endeavouring for higher honours.

''Our program is a pathway so it's great to see players get state contracts but it also makes it tough to keep the same squad. Our success last year would have played a part in our squad changing,'' he said.

ACT Meteors coach Martin Garoni said the Canberra side had a good draw but it would all come down to whether the girls were able to cope with the large number of matches in a short time.

''The draw is quite compact so the girls will be playing a lot of cricket in a short time, something which we will have to look after,'' Garoni said.

In a boost for the Meteors, they will play two curtain-raisers to Big Bash games, giving them the chance to play at the MCG and the WACA.

Meanwhile, in Sheffield Shield developments, Cricket Australia revealed it would experiment with a new time slot for domestic cricket's premier first-class competition.

In what can be viewed as a step towards the eventual set-up of day-night Tests, up to eight Shield matches will become twilight fixtures, with the new time slot to be trialled in games across the country.

The twilight games, to be played in states with daylight savings, could finish as late as 8pm, but the start and finish times are yet to be confirmed.

The International Cricket Council is keen to rejuvenate Test cricket by staging it at night and has requested first-class competitions around the world stage trials under lights.

The biggest stumbling block so far has been finding a ball that is not only suitable for the unique conditions that day-night cricket throws up, but will also hold up for the extended time needed in four or five-day games.