Twenty20
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Twenty20 (abbreviated T20) is a shortened format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition.[1] In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single innings each, which is restricted to a maximum of twenty overs. Together with first-class and List A cricket, Twenty20 is one of the three forms of cricket recognised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) as being played at the highest level, both internationally and domestically. A typical Twenty20 game is completed in about three and a half hours,[2] with each innings lasting around 90 minutes and an official 10-minute break between the innings. This is much shorter than previous forms of the game, and is closer to the timespan of other popular team sports. It was introduced to create a fast-paced game that would be attractive to spectators at the ground and viewers on television. The game has succeeded in spreading around the cricket world. On most international tours there is at least one Twenty20 match and all Test-playing nations have a domestic cup competition.
History
Origins
When the Benson & Hedges Cup ended in 2002, the ECB sought another one-day competition to fill with the younger generation in response to dwindling crowds and reduced sponsorship. The Board wanted to deliver fast-paced, exciting cricket accessible to fans who were put off by the longer versions of the game.[3] Stuart Robertson, the marketing manager of the ECB, proposed a 20-over-per-innings game, invented by New Zealand cricketer Martin Crowe, to county chairmen in 2001, and they voted 11–7 in favour of adopting the new format.[4] The first official Twenty20 matches were played on 13 June 2003 between the English counties in the Twenty20 Cup.[5] The first season of Twenty20 in England was a relative success, with the Surrey Lions defeating the Warwickshire Bears by nine wickets in the final to claim the title.[6] The first Twenty20 match held at Lord's, on 15 July 2004 between Middlesex and Surrey, attracted a crowd of 27,509, the highest attendance for any county cricket game at the ground – other than a one-day final – since 1953.[7]
Worldwide spread
Thirteen teams from different parts of the country participated in Pakistan's inaugural competition in 2004, with the Faisalabad Wolves the first winners. On 12 January 2005 Australia's first Twenty20 game was played at the WACA Ground between the Western Warriors and the Victorian Bushrangers. It drew a sell-out crowd of 20,000, which was the first one in nearly 25 years.[8] Starting on 11 July 2006, 19 West Indies regional teams competed in what was named the Stanford 20/20 tournament. The event was financially backed by billionaire Allen Stanford, who gave at least $28 million in funding money. It was intended that the tournament would be an annual event. Guyana won the inaugural event, defeating Trinidad and Tobago by five wickets, securing $1 million in prize money.[9][10] On 5 January 2007 the Queensland Bulls played the New South Wales Blues at The Gabba, Brisbane. An unexpected 16,000 fans turned up on the day to buy tickets, causing Gabba staff to throw open gates and grant many fans free entry. Attendance reached 27,653.[11] For the February 2008 Twenty20 match between Australia and India, 85,824 people attended the match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, involving the Twenty20 World Champions[12] against the ODI World Champions.[13]
T20 leagues
Several T20 leagues started after the popularity of the 2007 ICC World Twenty20.[14] The Board of Control for Cricket in India started the Indian Premier League popularly known as IPL, which is now the largest cricket league, in 2008, which utilizes the North American sports franchise system with ten teams in major Indian cities. In September 2017, the broadcasting and digital rights for the next five years (2018–2022) of the IPL[15] were sold to Star India for US$2.55 billion,[16] making it one of the world's most lucrative sports league per match. The IPL has seen a spike in its brand valuation to US$5.3 billion after the 10th edition, according to global valuation and corporate finance advisor Duff & Phelps.[17] The Big Bash League, Bangladesh Premier League, Pakistan Super League, Caribbean Premier League, and Afghanistan Premier League started thereafter, following similar formulae, and remained popular with the fans.[18][19] The Women's Big Bash League was started in 2015 by Cricket Australia, while the Kia Super League was started in England and Wales in 2016. The Mzansi Super League in South Africa was started in 2018. Several T20 leagues[20] follow the general format of having a group stage followed by a Page playoff system among the top four teams where:
- The first- and second-highest placed teams in the group stage face off, with the winner going to the final.
- The third- and fourth-place teams face off, with the loser being eliminated.
- The two teams who have not yet made it to the final after the above two matches have been played face off to fill the second berth in the final.
In the Big Bash League, there is an additional match to determine which of the fourth- or fifth-placed teams will qualify to be in the top four.[21]
Twenty20 Internationals
The first Twenty20 International match was held on 5 August 2004 between the England and New Zealand women's teams, with New Zealand winning by nine runs.[22] On 17 February 2005 Australia defeated New Zealand in the first men's international Twenty20 match, played at Eden Park in Auckland. The game was played in a light-hearted manner – both sides turned out in kit similar to that worn in the 1980s, the New Zealand team's a direct copy of that worn by the Beige Brigade. Some of the players also sported moustaches or beards and hairstyles popular in the 1980s, taking part in a competition amongst themselves for "best retro look", at the request of the Beige Brigade. Australia won the game comprehensively, and as the result became obvious towards the end of the NZ innings, the players and umpires took things less seriously: Glenn McGrath jokingly replayed the Trevor Chappell underarm incident from a 1981 ODI between the two sides, and Billy Bowden showed him a mock red card (red cards are not normally used in cricket) in response. The first Twenty20 international in England was played between England and Australia at the Rose Bowl in Hampshire on 13 June 2005, which England won by a margin of 100 runs, a record victory which lasted until 2007.[23] On 9 January 2006 Australia and South Africa met in the first international Twenty20 game in Australia. In a first, each player's nickname appeared on the back of his uniform, rather than his surname. The international match drew a crowd of 38,894 people at The Gabba. On 16 February 2006 New Zealand defeated West Indies in a tie-breaking bowl-out 3–0; 126 runs were scored apiece in the game proper. The game was the last international match played by Chris Cairns. The ICC has declared that it sees T20 as the optimal format for globalizing the game,[24] and in 2018, announced that it will give international status to all T20 cricket matches played between its member nations.[25] This resulted in a significant leap in the number of T20I matches played across the world.[26][27]
Twenty20 World Cup
Every two years an ICC World Twenty20 tournament is to take place, except in the event of an ICC Cricket World Cup being scheduled in the same year, in which case it will be held the year before. The first tournament was in 2007 in South Africa where India defeated Pakistan in the final. Two Associate teams had played in the first tournament, selected through the 2007 ICC World Cricket League Division One, a 50-over competition. In December 2007 it was decided to hold a qualifying tournament with a 20-over format to better prepare the teams. With six participants, two would qualify for the 2009 World Twenty20 and would each receive $250,000 in prize money.[28] The second tournament was won by Pakistan, who beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets in England on 21 June 2009. The 2010 ICC World Twenty20 tournament was held in the West Indies in May 2010, where England defeated Australia by seven wickets. The 2012 ICC World Twenty20 was won by the West Indies, by defeating Sri Lanka at the finals. It was the first time in cricket history when a T20 World Cup tournament took place in an Asian country. The 2014 ICC World Twenty20 was won by Sri Lanka, by defeating India at the finals, where the tournament was held in Bangladesh. The 2016 ICC World Twenty20 was won by West Indies. In July 2020, the ICC announced that both the 2020 and 2021 editions had been postponed by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2021, the ICC expanded the Twenty20 World Cup from 16 to 20 teams starting from the 2024 edition onwards.[29]
Impact on the game
Twenty20 cricket is claimed to have resulted in a more athletic and explosive form of cricket. Indian fitness coach Ramji Srinivasan declared in an interview with the Indian fitness website Takath.com that Twenty20 had "raised the bar" in terms of fitness levels for all players, demanding higher levels of strength, speed, agility and reaction time from all players regardless of role in the team.[30] Matthew Hayden credited retirement from international cricket with aiding his performance in general and fitness in particular in the Indian Premier League.[31] Several commentators have noted that the T20 format has been embraced by many Associate members of the ICC partly because it is more financially viable to play.[32][24] T20's success has also inspired the invention of even shorter formats, such as T10 cricket and 100-ball cricket,[33] and its impact on cricket has been compared to or served as inspiration for innovations in other sports, such as with the 3x3 variant of basketball or the Indian Pro Kabaddi League.[34] Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting, on the other hand, has criticised Twenty20 as being detrimental to Test cricket and for hampering batsmen's scoring skills and concentration.[35] Former Australian captain Greg Chappell made similar complaints, fearing that young players would play too much T20 and not develop their batting skills fully, while former England player Alex Tudor feared the same for bowling skills.[36][37] }}
Inclusion in multi-sport events
In June 2009, speaking at the annual Cowdrey Lecture at Lord's, former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist pushed for Twenty20 to be made an Olympic sport. "It would," he said, "be difficult to see a better, quicker or cheaper way of spreading the game throughout the world."[38] This became a reality starting with the 2028 Summer Olympics. T20 cricket has also been accepted into the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games.[39]
Match format and rules
Format
Twenty20 match format is a form of limited overs cricket in that it involves two teams, each with a single innings. The key feature is that each team bats for a maximum of 20 overs (120 legal balls). The batting team members do not arrive from and depart to traditional dressing rooms, but come and go from a bench (typically a row of chairs) visible in the playing arena, analogous to association football's technical area or a baseball dugout.[40]
General rules
The Laws of cricket apply to Twenty20, with major exceptions:[41]
- Each bowler may bowl a maximum of only one-fifth of the total overs per innings. For a full, uninterrupted match, this is four overs.
- If a bowler delivers a no-ball by overstepping the crease, it costs one or two runs (depending on the competition) and their next delivery is designated a "free-hit". In this circumstance the batter can only be dismissed through a run out, hitting the ball twice or obstructing the field.
- The following fielding restrictions apply:
- No more than five fielders can be on the leg side at any time.
- During the first six overs, a maximum of two fielders can be outside the 30-yard circle (this is known as the powerplay).
- After the first six overs, a maximum of five fielders can be outside the fielding circle.
- However, in Australia's Big Bash League the Powerplay is only the first 4 overs, with the batters choosing when the same restrictions apply for 2 overs in the second half of the innings, in a period called a Powersurge.
- If the fielding team does not start to bowl their 20th over within 75 minutes, the batting side is credited an extra six runs for every whole over bowled after the 75-minute mark; the umpire may add more time to this if they believe the batting team is wasting time.
Tie deciders
Currently, if the match ends with the scores tied and there must be a winner, the tie is broken with a one-over-per-side Eliminator[42] or Super Over:[43][44] Each team nominates three batsmen and one bowler to play a one-over-per-side "mini-match". The team which bats second in the match bats first in the Super Over.[45][46] In turn, each side bats one over bowled by the one nominated opposition bowler, with their innings over if they lose two wickets before the over is completed. The side with the higher score from their Super Over wins. If the Super Over also ends up in a tie, it is repeated until the tie is broken. In the Australian domestic competition the Big Bash League, the Super Over is played slightly differently, with no two-wicket limit, and if the Super Over is also tied then a "countback" is used, with scores after the fifth ball for each team being used to determine the result. If it is still tied, then the countback goes to four balls, and so on.[47] The latest Super Over to decide a match was between the United States and Pakistan on 6 June 2024, in the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup at Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas, with the United States winning 18/1 to 13/1 in the Super Over after tying on 159. Tied Twenty20 matches were previously decided by a bowl-out.[48]
International
Women's and men's Twenty20 Internationals have been played since 2004 and 2005 respectively. To date, 76 nations have played the format, including all Test-playing nations.
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T20 International rankings
In November 2011, the ICC released the first Twenty20 International rankings for the men's game, based on the same system as the Test and ODI rankings. The rankings cover a two- to three-year period, with matches since the most recent 1 August weighted fully, matches in the preceding 12 months weighted two-thirds, and matches in the 12 months preceding that weighted one-third. To qualify for the rankings, teams must have played at least eight Twenty20 Internationals in the ranking period.[49][50] The ICC Women's Rankings were launched in October 2015, which aggregated performance over all three forms of the game.[51] In October 2018, the ICC announced that the women's ranking would be split between ODIs and T20Is, and released both tables shortly thereafter.[52]
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Domestic professional T20 leagues
This is a list of the current Twenty20 domestic competitions in several of the leading cricket countries.
See also
- List of Twenty20 cricket records
- List of Twenty20 International records
- 100-ball cricket
- T10 cricket, the 10-over format of cricket
- Major League Cricket
- International League T20
- Global T20 Canada
References
- ↑ "The first official T20 in 2003". 12 March 2016. Archived from the original on 2 July 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
- ↑ icc (30 January 2024). "ICC Men's T20 World Cup: Frequently Asked Questions". www.icc-cricket.com. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
On average, an ICC Men's T20 World Cup match is approximately 3 hours and 20 minutes in duration.
- ↑ Gardner, Alan (13 January 2015). "T20 timeline: Revolution to uncertainty". ESPNcricinfo. ESPN.
- ↑ Cleaver, Dylan (3 November 2010). Brendon McCullum: Inside Twenty20. Hachette New Zealand. ISBN 978-1-86971-238-9. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
- ↑ Matches played 13 June 2003 Archived 10 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 9 June 2008
- ↑ Twenty20 Cup, 2003, Final – Surrey v Warwickshire Archived 25 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 9 June 2008
- ↑ Weaver, Paul (25 May 2009). "Usman Afzaal gives Surrey winning start but absent fans fuel concerns". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 March 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
- ↑ "Sellout at WACA for Twenty20 match". ESPNcricinfo. 12 January 2005. Archived from the original on 22 July 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
- ↑ "Guyana crowned Stanford 20/20 champions". ESPNcricinfo. 14 August 2006. Archived from the original on 8 February 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ↑ "Dates for Stanford Twenty20 announced". The Jamaica Observer. 9 February 2006. Archived from the original on 5 December 2008.
- ↑ "Gabba fans let in for free". Cricket20.com. Archived from the original on 8 October 2008. Retrieved 31 March 2007.
- ↑ "India crash to nine-wicket defeat". ESPNcricinfo. 1 February 2008. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
- ↑ S Rajesh; HR Gopalakrishna. "Australia v Sri Lanka, World Cup final, Barbados". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 30 April 2007.
- ↑ "Are T20 leagues making money?". Archived from the original on 2 November 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
- ↑ "IPL Live Score". iplt20lives.com. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 8 April 2021.
- ↑ "IPL television and broadcast rights sold for massive £1.97bn to Star India". The Guardian. 4 September 2017. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
- ↑ "IPL 2017 Valuation". TOI. Archived from the original on 17 September 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
- ↑ "IPL world's 6th most attended league, Big Bash 9th: Report". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 16 February 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
- ↑ "The lowdown on the major T20 leagues". 3 August 2017. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
- ↑ "IPL format: No time to relax". Hindustan Times. 9 May 2011. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- ↑ "EXPLAINED | Format of Big Bash League 2019–20 finals". The Statesman. 22 January 2020. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
- ↑ Miller, Andrew (6 August 2004). "Revolution at the seaside". Cricinfo. Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2010.
- ↑ "Records / Twenty20 Internationals / Team records / Largest margin of victory (by runs)". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 24 April 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Cricket gets smaller before it can grow?". playthegame.org. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ↑ "T20s between all ICC members to have international status". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ↑ "Cricket looks set to become a global game". The Economist. 20 October 2021. ISSN 0013-0613. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ↑ "T20 International Cricket drives significant growth in 2019". icc-cricket.com. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ↑ "ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier to be held in Ireland". ESPNcricinfo. 13 December 2007. Archived from the original on 10 February 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
- ↑ "ICC expands men's world events: ODI WC to 14 teams, T20 WC to 20 teams". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 27 October 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- ↑ "An interview with Ramji Srinivasan". Takath.com. 19 June 2009. Archived from the original on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2009.
- ↑ "Hayden heroics shining light of IPL". The Canberra Times. 13 May 2009. Archived from the original on 18 September 2009.
- ↑ Germany, Brazil, Thailand: T20 the vehicle to drive cricket to ever newer horizons Archived 27 October 2021 at the Wayback Machine https://indianexpress.com/ 23 October 2021 "We are good at T20 because that's the format in which we get maximum exposure, apart from the fact that it is financially viable", says former Afghanistan Cricket Association chief executive Shafiq Stanikzai.
- ↑ "Thirty-two predictions for the future of Twenty20 cricket". The Independent.
- ↑ Menon,DHNS, Sandeep. "Sport and culture: An evolutionary tale". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
- ↑ "I told Dravid not to retire – Ponting". Archived from the original on 5 February 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
- ↑ "How is T20 affecting cricket?". Archived from the original on 5 February 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
- ↑ "Alex Tudor fears T20 is killing cricket's traditional skills". 30 March 2016. Archived from the original on 5 February 2018. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
- ↑ Quoted in Booth, Lawrence. "Myths; And stereotypes." The Spin, 30 June 2009.
- ↑ "T20 cricket confirmed as one of five new sports at LA28". ESPNcricinfo. 16 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
- ↑ "Bringing back fences could help even up the contest between bat and ball, and ensure that all sixes are genuine". 17 April 2016. Archived from the original on 21 May 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
- ↑ "Twenty20 Rules". CricketWorld4U. Archived from the original on 28 December 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
- ↑ "One-over eliminator could replace bowl-out". cricinfo.com cricinfo.com. 27 June 2008. Archived from the original on 28 June 2008. Retrieved 26 December 2008.
- ↑ "Windies edge NZ in Twenty20 thriller". abc.net.au Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 26 December 2008. Archived from the original on 29 December 2008. Retrieved 26 December 2008.
- ↑ "Benn stars in thrilling tie". cricinfo.com cricinfo.com. 26 December 2008. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 26 December 2008.
- ↑ "Vettori opposes Super Over". cricinfo.com cricinfo.com. 26 December 2008. Archived from the original on 30 December 2008. Retrieved 5 February 2009.
- ↑ The Explainer (13 January 2009). "One1". cricinfo.com cricinfo.com. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2009.
- ↑ "KFC T20 Big Bash League: Rules". KFC T20 Big Bash League. Archived from the original on 9 January 2015. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
- ↑ "Super Over to replace bowl out". ESPN CricInfo. 27 October 2008. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
- ↑ ICC Team Rankings Archived 17 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Kendix, David. ICC rankings for Tests, ODIs, Twenty20 & Women Archived 3 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine. ESPN Cricinfo. ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
- ↑ "ICC Women's Team Rankings launched". International Cricket Council. Archived from the original on 25 December 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
- ↑ "ICC Launches Global Women's T20I Team Rankings". International Cricket Council. Archived from the original on 12 October 2018. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
