JOHANNESBURG (South Africa) - In some quarters it is seen as a quick fix for the new millennium and needs time to settle before being condemned or approved. Yet the new first-class format for South Africa also has a positive side.

While the 11 provinces get a chance to prove themselves in a pool system, the Super Eight format for the SuperSoport series means the strength versus strength problem has, for the moment, been solved.

Yet the fact remains, the United Cricket Board cannot go back to the drawing board every four to five years and come up with a new scheme to improve the levels of the game and increase skills if the pool of players lacks depth.

Unlike South Africa, with its unusual, if unique set of circumstances, the Australians have had no need to change their Sheffield Shield format for more than 100 years. Even a form of bonus points, tried for a couple of seasons, was thrown out as being a meaningless appendage to the system. Why, asked Allan Border, change a successful formula for one which is inferior. And he was referring to bonus points.

Down Under the only major changes have been the introduction of West Australia, about 50 years ago and more recently, Tasmania.

To accommodate the aspirations of North West and Easterns the UCB think tank has had to revamp the nine team league in a bid to achieve the player growth ignored since unity in 1991/92. The argument is that more players of colour should be fast tracked into the system than infiltrated as has been the case.

So where does this leave Northerns? Seeded seven and ranked only fourth in Pool A the lads from centurion are miffed at their lowly status after finishing third on the log the last two seasons. What pulled their seeding down was that amazing summer of 1996/97: Standard Bank League winners but bottom of the A Section pile.

It was the sort of summer which had the coach Keith Medlycott wondering when the ball was going to bounce the right way and Mark Davis, in his first season as captain, battling to adjust from limited-overs success to four-day trial and tribulation.

The bottom line, however, is that teams going into the Super Eight play nine games and carry over their points from the pool system and that means one game more than teams have played in the last four seasons. The only way you get to play a 10th match is reaching the final.

Just what sort of points system will be used is still to be decided, but it might mean a new bonus points formula and extra points for a win.

The limited-overs series format is far more equitable and a decided improvement on this past summer's series where Northerns, the league winners, were forced to wait in limbo for three weeks and it was a critical factor which counted against them in the long term.