Cricket's back as Matador kicks off

The summer of cricket kicks off today with the start of the Matador BBQs One-Day Cup.

The tournament will begin in style with not one, but three matches being played simultaneously across Sydney.

Kicking off at 10am, NSW will play the Cricket Australia XI at Bankstown Oval, the Alcohol.Think Again Western Warriors meet the Westend Redbacks at Hurstville Oval, and the myFootDr Queensland Bulls take on the Tasmanian Tigers at North Sydney Oval.

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The Blues will boast a talented line-up again in 2015 // Getty

The states have named star-studded squads following the cancellation of Australia’s tour to Bangladesh, ensuring the One-Day Cup will be the central focus of cricket fans around the country this month.

Matador Cup: All you need to know

With this year's event held solely in Sydney, Blacktown International Sportspark and Drummoyne Oval will also host matches.

After each side has played six matches, the teams placed second and third will play an elimination final at Drummoyne Oval, with the winner to take on the top side in the final at North Sydney Oval on Sunday October 25.

The big change this year is the addition of the Cricket Australia XI to the competition. The new squad, made up of talented youngsters and players on the fringe of state selection, has been introduced on a two-year trial.

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The Warriors are the defending champions // Getty Images

For fans in Australia, fifteen of the 23 matches will be broadcast live in HD on GEM, as well as being available for streaming to Live Pass subscribers.

All matches will be scored live on cricket.com.au, while we'll also provide added written and video coverage throughout the three-week tournament.

Stay up to date with all the latest news via our social media channels using #MatadorCup.

If you're in the Sydney area during October, tickets can be purchased at the gate for just $10 for adults, $5 for concessions with free entry for children 15 years and under.

Here’s what you have to look forward to today:

New South Wales v Cricket Australia XI

Follow live scores HERE 

A NSW squad bursting with international stars will take on the competition’s newcomers in the CA XI at Bankstown Oval.

However, NSW will underestimate the CA XI at their peril, with the young squad eager to prove a point against their more fancied opposition.

NSW squad: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Doug Bollinger, Ryan Carters, Ed Cowan, Moises Henriques, Nathan Lyon, Nic Maddinson, Peter Nevill, Steve O'Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Gurinder Sandhu, Mitchell Starc, Shane Watson.

CA XI squad: Will Bosisto (c), Alex Gregory (vc), James Peirson, Ryan Lees, Marcus Harris, Seb Gotch, Matthew Short, Jack Wildermuth, James Bazley, Liam Hatcher, Mitch Swepson, Hilton Cartwright, Riley Ayre, Matthew Dixon.

Queensland v Tasmania

Follow live scores HERE

The Bulls begin their summer against Tasmania at North Sydney Oval in a rematch of last season’s epic encounter when Queensland chased down the Tigers’ total of 398 with 16 balls to spare.

Queensland have a new coach in Phil Jacques, while Peter Forrest is standing in as skipper for Usman Khawaja, who injured his hamstring in grade cricket and will return later in the tournament.

Tasmania boast an intriguing line-up featuring George Bailey, Alex Doolan, James Faulkner and Xavier Doherty, while Jackson Bird is available to make his first appearance in the Tigers colours since December 2012.

Queensland squad: Usman Khawaja (c)*, Cameron Boyce, Joe Burns, Ben Cutting, Luke Feldman, Peter Forrest, Chris Hartley, Charlie Hemphrey, James Hopes,  Simon Milenko, Michael Neser, Nathan Reardon, Billy Stanlake, Mark Steketee. (*Marnus Labuschagne injury replacement)

Tasmania squad: George Bailey (c), Jackson Bird, Xavier Doherty, Alex Doolan (vc), Jake Doran, Ben Dunk, James Faulkner, Andrew Fekete, Evan Gulbis, Hamish Kingston, Dominic Michael, Tim Paine, Sam Rainbird, Clive Rose.

South Australia v Western Warriors

Follow live scores HERE

The Western Warriors will be eager to get their title defence off to a strong start today but they will face a Redbacks team eager to prove a point after finishing at the bottom of the table last year.

It will be a tough task for South Australia, under new coach Jamie Siddons, as they face a Warriors team stacked with international talent.

South Australia squad: Travis Head (c), Tom Andrews, Tom Cooper, Callum Ferguson, Jake Lehmann, Tim Ludeman, Joe Mennie, Gary Putland, Kane Richardson, Sam Raphael, Alex Ross, Daniel Worrall, Nick Winter, Adam Zampa.

Western Australia squad: Adam Voges (c), Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Michael Klinger, Simon Mackin, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh (vc), Joel Paris, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Sam Whiteman.