Twenty20

Twenty20 cricket was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board in 2003. It is a form of one-day cricket in which each team bats for a maximum of only 20 overs, contrasting with 50 overs for a standard one-day match. The format means a game can be completed in about three hours.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Major changes from the Laws of Cricket include:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Should a bowler deliver a no ball by overstepping the crease, his next delivery is designated a free-hit, from which the batsman can only be dismissed through a run-out, as is the case for the original no ball.
• Bowlers may bowl a maximum of only 4 overs per innings, as is standard for 20-over cricket.
• Umpires may award 5-run penalties at their discretion if they believe either team is wasting time.

So far, Twenty20 has proved very popular with the public. On July 15 2004, Middlesex vs. Surrey (the first Twenty20 game to be held at Lord's) attracted a crowd of 26,500, the largest attendance for any county game other than a one-day final since 1953.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On January 12 2005, Australia's first Twenty20 game was played at the WACA ground between the Western Warriors and the Victorian Bushrangers. It drew a sellout crowd of 20,700 - the largest seen at the ground for many years. The following day, Australia A beat the Pakistanis at the Adelaide Oval.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On February 17 2005, Australia defeated New Zealand in the first men's full international Twenty20 match, played at Eden Park in Auckland.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The United States professional Pro Cricket league uses a format based on Twenty20, with two other changes:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• Overs are 5 balls long.
• Bowlers are restricted to 5 overs per innings (meaning only 4 bowlers are required). (For more information on bowler restrictions, see one-day cricket.)

The very first Twenty20 international played in England was between England and Australia at the Rose Bowl in Hampshire on the 13th June 2005. England won the match by 100 runs.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Twenty20: Domestic Twenty20 Winners ►



 

England and Wales Cricket Board: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is the governing body of cricket in England and Wales. It was created on 1 January 1997 combining the roles of the Test and County Cricket Board (TCCB), the National Cricket Association (NCA) and the Cricket Council....

2003: 2003(MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. It was designated the:...

One-day cricket: One-day cricket is a version of the sport of cricket that is completed in one day, as distinct from Test cricket and first-class cricket which can take up to five days to complete....