10 Cricket Formats You Never Knew Existed – Including the New Test Twenty

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10 Cricket Formats You Never Knew Existed – Including the New Test Twenty: After Tests, ODIs, and T20s, cricket now has its fourth format. Yes! You heard that right. This new format is called 'Test Twenty'. Children aged 13 to 19 will participate in this new championship. Legends like Matthew Hayden, Harbhajan Singh, Sir Clive Lloyd, and AB de Villiers will promote this new format.

Cricket, often called the "gentleman's game," has evolved over the centuries. The game has taken many incarnations, adapting to the times, spectator interest, and commercial demands. From a slow, strategic five-day game to a 90-minute, ultra-brief spectacle, cricket has adapted to every era.

Let's take a detailed look at this exciting journey of cricket's various formats:

International Cricket: The Big Three

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1. Test Cricket

• Duration: Five days (two innings per team)
• Characteristics: It is considered the purest and most fundamental form of cricket. It puts a player's skill, patience, mental toughness, and endurance to the ultimate test.
• Identity: Players use whites and a red ball. A draw is also possible.
• Began: 1877.

2. One-Day International (ODI): A balanced format

• Duration: Approximately 8 hours (50 overs for each team)
• Features: It strikes a balance between Test cricket's tactics and fast-paced cricket.
• Importance: The ICC Cricket World Cup, held every four years, is played in this format.
• Standardization: Since 1987, it has been 50 overs (previously it was 60 overs).

3. T20 International (Twenty20): Fast-paced Revolution

• Duration: Approximately 3 to 3.5 hours (20 overs for each team)
• Features: This format focuses entirely on entertainment, hitting fours and sixes, and aggressive play.
• Impact: The T20 format is the main reason for the rise of franchise leagues like IPL, Big Bash, and PSL.
• Started: in 2003.

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The New Format of Cricket: Test Twenty

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Test Twenty is a new and innovative format designed to provide a fresh experience by combining the strategy of Test cricket and the fast pace of T20.

Key Points of 'Test Twenty'

• Duration: The match aims to be completed in approximately one day.
• Structure: This format is played over 80 overs, with each team playing two innings, and each side having a single innings. An innings lasts 20 overs.
• Features: This format retains the two-innings concept of Test cricket, but with a limited number of overs.
• Objective: It aims to retain the strategy and ebb and flow of a traditional Test match within a single day, making it more attractive to spectators and broadcasters.

It is new and is being called the "fourth format of cricket," specifically aimed at attracting young and new generation players.

New and Experimental Formats of Cricket

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These formats have been introduced to make cricket more concise and market-friendly:

4. T10 Cricket

• Duration: Approximately 90 minutes (10 overs for each team).
• Features: The shortest format of cricket, featuring aggressive batting from the outset.
• Trend: Popular primarily in franchise leagues (e.g., the Abu Dhabi T10).

5. The Hundred

• Duration: Approximately 2.5 hours (100 balls for each team).
• Structure: A format played in England in which sets of 5 or 10 balls are bowled instead of traditional overs.
• Aim: To attract a new and casual audience.

6. Test Twenty

• Duration: Aim to finish in one day.
• Structure: Each team bats twice, and each innings lasts approximately 20 overs (80 overs total).
• Aim: Test Delivering the fun of match strategy in a single day.

Historical & Older Formats

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These formats have either been discontinued over time or have shifted from the international mainstream to domestic or unofficial formats:

7. 60-over ODIs

• Over count: 60 overs for each team.
• Usage: The standard ODI format until the 1987 World Cup.
• Reason for change: The match was reduced to 50 overs to allow for timely completion.

8. 40 Over Format (40 Over Cricket)

• Over Number: 40 overs for each team.
• Usage: Apart from some experiments at the international level, it was mainly common in domestic tournaments (such as the Sunday League in England).
• Current Status: It has been discontinued at the international level.

9. Cricket Super Max

• Feature: An innovative experiment by New Zealand in the 1990s, in which runs were awarded double for balls hit in the 'max zone'.
• Why Obsolete: This format has lost its appeal due to the widespread success of T20 cricket. Sit down.

10. Timeless Test

• Duration: Unlimited days (until a result is reached).
• Usage: Some Test matches were played like this in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
• Why obsolete: Matches dragged on for too long (sometimes up to two weeks), leading to the discontinuation.

Conclusion: The Flexibility of Cricket

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The game of cricket is constantly evolving so that it can achieve its original (Test) and attract new audiences (Test Twenty20, T10). Each format has its own place and importance, and this flexibility of the game is what keeps it one of the most popular sports in the world.

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