AUSTRALIA has mapped out a long-term plan to have its best players in action for so-called ''icon series'', while series that are deemed less important will be used to develop new players.

The formal introduction of different selection guidelines for different opponents and formats, revealed to The Age by Cricket Australia team performance chief Pat Howard yesterday, takes the rotation system to a new level, and is sure to provoke debate given Australia last month lost a Test to eighth-ranked New Zealand, in what was earmarked as a development series.

Australia risks being accused of disrespecting lower-ranked opponents if it doesn't pick the best available players for every series. Credit:Getty Images

''We do look at different series differently and obviously we took the Indian series very much about trying to drive performance, so if a player was touch and go, we'd probably push him for this series knowing that if we had to rest him for part of the ODI series so be it. For New Zealand we took more of a conservative approach, took the chance to get people right,'' Howard said.

''There are risks associated with that and we have to keep that balance. Without question we want to win every series and we're never going to go in with a B-team against anybody, that's for sure. But we will take the opportunity to introduce players and with the downside of losing Hobart the upside is that we got to see David Warner at his best. At times we will take educated risks during a series to maintain overall opportunity to introduce players.''