For struggling teams, this season will be the most crucial in the championship's 109-year history after cricket authorities last year decided to split the 18-team competition into two tiers starting next season.

A three-up, three-down relegation and promotion system will be introduced under the new format, meaning 12 of the 18 counties can play in the top division over a two-year period.

ECB chairman Lord MacLaurin said the new system, designed to make England more competitive at international level, is ``better than the system that has failed us over the last dozen years.''

The two division structure is beingintroduced through the revamped limited-overs competition this season, while cricket's image has been overhauled with each county adopting a nickname and colored uniforms for the one-day matches.

ECB chief executive Tim Lamb said with the new sponsors, new nicknames and new playing formats, 1999 promises to be ``the most exciting cricket seasons in years.''

But there won't be any fanfare today to signal the beginning of the end for the traditional schedule as the bulk of the teams are missing international stars in the leadup to the World Cup.

The competition won't gain momentum, or attract anything other than cursory attention, until the World Cup finishes in mid June and the domestic soccer competition finishes.

To add to English cricket's doldrums, the national team was eliminated Sunday from the Sharjah limited-overs tournament after an opening loss to Pakistan and successive losses to India.

But there was some good news on the eve of the domestic season opener.

The ECB announced yesterdaythat PPP Healthcare had signed a four-year significant new agreement for the county championship, ending its exhaustive search for a new sponsor.

West Indies batsman Brian Lara is the notable omission from England's premier domestic tournament this season after being replaced at Warwickshire -- where he scored his world record 501 runs in 1994 by South African fast bowler Allan Donald.

Overseas Imports By England In 1999
Twelve of the 18 counties will have Australians as overseas pro during this season's English Chammpionship. Two South Africans, two West Indians, one Sri Lankan and one Pakistani.

Derbyshire: Michael Slater (Australia); Durham: David Boon (Australia); Essex: Stuart Law (Australia); Glamorgan: Jacques Kallis (South Africa); Gloucestershire: Ian Harvey (Australia); Hampshire: Nixon McLean (West Indies); Kent: Andrew Symonds (Australia); Lancashire: Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka); Leicestershire: Michael Kasprowicz (Australia); Middlesex: Justin Langer (Australia);Northamptonshire: Matthew Hayden (Australia); Nottinghamshire: Vasbert Drakes (West Indies); Somerset: Jamie Cox (Australia); Surrey: Saqlain Mushtaq (Pakistan); Sussex: Michael di Venuto (Australia); Warwickshire: Allan Donald (South Africa); Worcestershire: Tom Moody (Australia); Yorkshire: Greg Blewett (Australia).

Kallis, Murlalitharan, Saqlain, Donald and Moody will be represent their countries in the World Cup and therefore unavailable for county cricket till June.