Cricket Australia have washed their hands of the decision to award Canberra a Big Bash League game next season, with the clubs set to have the final say.
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The ACT government are keen to bring elite men's cricket to Manuka Oval and BBL matches loom as the most likely option.
Limited content in an Ashes summer saw Canberra left off Cricket Australia's schedule for the 2017-18 season, despite being midway through a four-year deal with the ACT government to play internationals in the capital.
However, Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland has identified an appetite for international cricket in Canberra, and the capital will host a maiden Test match in the 2018-19 summer.
The BBL will be expanded to 40 regular season matches next summer, which means each club will be given an extra home game.
Cricket ACT are hopeful of securing a Sydney Thunder match in an effort to build on an existing relationship with the franchise.
"We're just talking to the government up there in the [ACT] to just work out what the best step forward is," Sutherland said.
"We want to continue to try to get one international match up there each year if we can. If we can't do it next year we'll just look at extending [the agreement].
"I know there's also some discussions around the possibility of a BBL match up there [in Canberra].
"That's something really for the respective teams within the BBL to pursue with the government, it's not specifically Cricket Australia's domain."
Sutherland says the time frame for BBL clubs to decide on where they will play their home games is "not imminent or urgent" and will happen over the next two or three months.
More BBL matches won't necessarily result in an extended window for the booming competition, with Cricket Australia identifying gaps in the existing schedule that could be tied up.
