We are all aware that necessity gives rise to innovations. The same thing applies to the Twenty20 (T20) format of cricket. In the year 1998, the idea of having a shortened format of the game at the professional level was discussed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for the first time. Thereafter, it was again discussed in the year 2001. Below is the history of T20 in a nutshell.Brief History Of T20History of T20 has its roots in the indelible love for the game of cricket all over the world.
In 2001, Stuart Robertson, marketing manager, ECB, proposed a 20 over per innings game to county chairmen and the votes were in favor of adopting the new format. A media group was invited for giving a name to the new format of the game and finally, T20 was selected as the title of the match.When the Benson & Hedges Cup ended in the year 2002, the ECB needed a one day competition to take its place. The cricketing authorities wanted to increase the popularity of the game, particularly among the young generation and those cricket lovers who could not watch the entire match due to its longer versions. T20 cricket was intended to attract a larger crowd and also increase the sponsorship.
On June 13, 2003, the first official T20 matches were played between a variety of English counties in the T20 Cup. At Lord's, the first T20 game was played on July 15, 2004 between Middlesex and Surrey and this match attracted a large crowd. Since then, T20 has spread throughout the world. The inaugural World T20 was played in South Africa in the year 2007 where India defeated Pakistan in the final match by just 5 runs.T20 Match FormatIn a T20 match, there are two teams, each having a single innings.
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As the name itself suggests, each team can bat for a maximum of 20 overs. There are 11 members in each team. The entire game is supposed to be completed in about two and a half hours, each innings lasting for about 75 minutes. It was introduced to make the game more lively so as to lure a large number of spectators at the ground and viewers on television. T20 Match RulesThe Laws of cricket are also applicable to T20, with only a few exceptions:
Each bowler can bowl a maximum of one-fifth of the total number of overs per innings. It is usually four overs in the 20 overs match.
If a bowler delivers a no ball, it costs 1 run and the next delivery that he makes is regarded as a "free-hit", from which the batsman can only be dismissed by a run out.
Umpires have the power to award five-run penalty if they feel that either team is wasting time. The fielding restrictions include:
There can be a maximum of five fielders on the leg side at any point of time.
During the first six overs, not more than two fielders can remain outside the 30-yard circle.
After the completion of first six overs of the match, a maximum of five fielders can remain outside the fielding circle.
If the fielding team does not start bowling the 20th over within 75 minutes, the batting side gets an extra six runs for every full over bowled after 75 minutes is over.Rules For TieIn the event of a tie, each team nominates three batsmen and one bowler for playing a one-over per side "mini-match", called as a "One1". In turn, each side bats one over bowled by the bowler nominated by the opponents, and their innings end if they lose two wickets before completing the over. The side with the higher score is declared the winner of the match.T20 InternationalsOn February 17, 2005, Australia won the first men's full International T20 match which was played at Eden Park in Auckland, defeating New Zealand. Similarly, on June 13, 2005, the first T20 International in England was played between England and Australia at the Rose Bowl in Hampshire. England won the match defeating Australia by 100 runs.In Australia, the first International T20 match was played on January 9, 2006 between Australia and South Africa, with Australia defeating New Zealand. The nickname of each player appeared on the back of his uniform, rather than his surname.On February 16, 2006, the match was played between New Zealand and West Indies and there was a tie with both the teams scoring 126 runs each. Finally, New Zealand won by defeating West Indies in a tie-breaking bowl-out 3-0. This match was the last international game played by Chris Cairns.