James Faulkner, Glenn Maxwell, George Bailey and Aaron Finch are the clearest examples of players who are going to have scant opportunity to press their claims in red-ball cricket.

The unconventional fixturing of a limited-overs series before the Tests - three Twenty20s and five one-dayers against South Africa - will thwart the potential for Australian limited-overs players to feature in the early rounds of the shield. Their first appearance is likely to be in round four in late November, when it is expected all players, probably excepting the fast-bowlers in the first-Test squad, will feature.

Players not part of the squad for the series-opening Brisbane Test against India will play in round five in early December, beginning the day after the start of the Gabba Test. That round is likely to be the last in the shield for the incumbent non-Test players in Australia's one-day and Twenty20 teams, because once the shield resumes after the Big Bash League break in the second week of February all are likely to be part of Australia's imminent World Cup campaign.

While the pre-Test series against South Africa is commercially important for Cricket Australia, because its international matches effectively end on February 1 due to the ICC-controlled World Cup, executive general manager of team performance Pat Howard argued it was vital for Australia to be playing as much short-form cricket as possible  before the prestigious tournament.

"The big focus this year [in fixturing] was that we had a really good white-ball lead-in to a World Cup at home," he said.

Given CA's operations department is already mapping out schedules for almost a decade in advance it has long been aware there would be a paucity of red-ball cricket this season for players in Australia's limited-overs teams who are not in the Test team. This was one reason it encouraged Finch and Maxwell to play county cricket in England over the Australian winter, in which Finch averaged 48.5 across five matches and Maxwell made 85 and 24 in his only four-day match.

Howard said Test success remained CA's long-term top priority, but that the fact Australia was hosting its first World Cup since 1992, "the only World Cup at home during these players' careers", meant one-day cricket deserved a greater focus this season.

"The strategy clearly states that in men's cricket Tests is number one, and ... that's going to stand the test of time. But this year it goes without saying that a World Cup at home is pretty special," he said.

"In [one-dayers] as a format every performance is going to count, and I think many people are going to be watching every single performance until that 15-man squad is announced in mid-January."

Bailey is the player most likely to be affected. Since being axed from the Test team in January he has played only one shield match. The right-hander, 32 next month, may only play one or two more shield matches before Australia's next Ashes squad, for the away series next year, is chosen.

Howard declined to specifically address the circumstances of Bailey, or any other player, other that to reiterate Australian limited-overs players would "get one or two opportunities with the red ball this year" and would not be excluded from consideration for Test selection.

"There's a long tradition of players playing ODI cricket being a platform for Test selection - not all the time, but it does happen. I think if they [selectors] saw enough from any player to elevate him from that format they'd look at it," he said.

"The other thing is we've just come off a [series] win in South Africa, a five-nil [home] Test series. It's a reasonably stable Test team ... so there's going to be small change rather than big change would be my guess.

"Opportunities are limited but they're still there. Players have got to be well aware they've got to take every chance they get."

Players such as Faulkner, Maxwell, Bailey and Finch who do not feature regularly in Tests or the shield this season will, pending selection, have the opportunity for pre-Ashes preparation as part of an Australia A series which, just like last year, precede the Tests in England.

Australia is beginning a 12-month period in which it plays only six Tests. The following year it will play 18 Tests in the same period, away to West Indies, England, Bangladesh and New Zealand and hosting New Zealand and the West Indies in the 2015-16 home summer.

RED-BALL RARITIES

Players in Australia's one-day and Twenty20 teams but not in the Test team are likely to have little Sheffield Shield availability this season.

Rd 01 (31 Oct - 03 Nov): Unlikely (for entire match, at least), due to South Africa series starting two days later.
Rd 02 (08 Nov - 11 Nov): Unavailable, due to South Africa series.
Rd 03 (16 Nov - 16 Nov): Unavailable, due to South Africa series.
Rd 04 (25 Nov - 25 Nov): Available.
Rd 05 (05 Dec - 08 Dec): Available.
Rd 06 (07 Feb - 10 Feb): Unavailable, due to World Cup preparation.
Rd 07 (16 Feb - 19 Feb): Unavailable, due to World Cup.
Rd 08 (24 Feb - 27 Feb): Unavailable, due to World Cup.
Rd 09 (05 Mar - 08 Mar): Unavailable, due to World Cup.
Rd 10 (13 Mar - 16 Mar): Unavailable, due to World Cup.
Final (21 Mar - 25 Mar): Unavailable, due to World Cup (unless Australia eliminated before semi-finals).