Cricket Max is going country this summer.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) released its domestic schedule today, but a release of its international programme is being delayed until after the next board meeting on September 15.

Board members want to discuss the draft schedule and to ensure there is an even spread of international cricket throughout the country, NZC general manager Tim Murdoch said.

In a move to take cricket out of the main centres and expose it to communities that rarely get the chance to watch top players in action, NZC, and the six Major associations, have decided to take the super-abbreviated version of the game out to the country.

Murdoch said the Max would take on a "roadshow" style this season.

"We're profiling cricket into the regional areas where they rarely, if ever, get the chance to see international or first-class cricketers. Some public relations activities are likely to be developed around the games," he said.

Under a new format for the start of season Max extravaganza, teams in the neighbouring regions will play five games. Auckland will play Northern Districts, Central Districts will play Wellington and Canterbury will play Otago.

Most notably, Auckland and Northern Districts, are visiting some unusual places for their preliminary round series of games.

Kaipara Flats, Te Atamutu and Whakatane are three of the venues for their preliminary round games.

Otago and Canterbury will play in Mosgiel, Gore, Invercargill, Ashburton and Westport while Levin and Marton are two of the venues for Central Districts and Wellington's games.

The winner from each series will then travel to either Eden Park Outer Oval or Cambridge's Victoria Square on the weekend of November 11-12 to decide who will play the final the following weekend at whichever team qualifies first.

The final will be at the venue of the first top qualifier and depending on the availability of lights will be played either between 4-7pm or 7-10pm.

Meanwhile, the Shell Trophy competition, restored to two full rounds, will be completed, without a final this year, on February 26.

That will leave the only top cricket being played in March as the Pakistan international matches.

Three rounds of both the Trophy and the Shell Cup will be played before Christmas. The post-Christmas Cup games will start on December 27 with games on December 29 and 31 followed by a break until January 12 when New Zealand is expected to play Zimbabwe in a one-day series.

Games will then continue on January 12, 14, 16 and 18. Semi finals are scheduled for January 21 and 22 with the best of three finals series played on January 25, 27 and 29.

© CricInfo