CRICKET’S local governing body, the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) has streamlined its registration rules, allowing a maximum of 20 players to be registered to a team at any given time.

The rule takes immediate effect and will apply to all competitions under the aegis of the JCA, with registration to be completed two weeks before the start of each competition.

Except for the semi-professional Jamaican SuperCricket League, clubs were previously permitted to register any number of players that could represent them during the season.

However, the JCA has successfully modernised its approach and this was tested in the island’s premier competition over the past

two seasons.

“The insurance that we have in place now insures up to 20 players, which makes it easier to manage; easy for cross-referencing and allow clubs and parish associations to manage their resources better,” said Courtney Francis, head of the JCA’s Cricket Operations Department.

“Players can be added or subtracted as stated in the JCA rules,” Francis noted. “But at no time more than 20 players can be registered.

“Application for an addition to the list may be submitted from time to time, with

the corresponding number subtracted to ensure that registration does not exceed 20 players,” Francis told the Observer yesterday.

Applications of this nature “must be made not less than seven (7) days” prior to that player’s participation in all JCA-run competitions.

Information highlighting all registered players per club will be shared among the competing teams in each competition, Francis said, which is likely to be well receive by all and sundry.

Meantime, the JCA transfer window will open on December 15, 2009 before closing January 15, 2010, ahead of the Junior Cup, which usually signals the start of a new domestic season.