Twenty20 | International Cricket Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia History Origins The idea of a shortened format of the game at a professional level was discussed by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 1998 and 2001. When the Benson & Hedges Cup ended in 2002, the ECB needed another one day competition to fill its place. The cricketing authorities were looking to boost the game's popularity with the younger generation in response to dwindling crowds and reduced sponsorship. It was intended to deliver fast paced, exciting cricket accessible to thousands of fans who were put off by the longer versions of the game. Stuart Robertson, the marketing manager of the ECB, proposed a 20 over per innings game to county chairmen in 2001 and they voted 11-7 in favour of adopting the new format. A media group was invited to develop a name for the new game and Twenty20 was the chosen title. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket. A mathematician from Perth, Western Australia, Dr George Christos, also claims to have proposed a similar format to the ICC and ECB in 1997.

However, the ICC has dismissed his involvement in developing the final concept. Twenty20 cricket was formally introduced in 2003 when the ECB launched the Twenty20 Cup and was marketed with the slogan “I don’t like cricket, I love it”, taken from the 10cc song "Dreadlock Holiday". Twenty20 Cup The first official Twenty20 matches were played on 13 June 2003 between the English counties in the Twenty20 Cup. The first season of Twenty20 in England was a relative success, with the Surrey Lions defeating the Warwickshire Bears by 9 wickets in the final to claim the Twenty20 Cup. On 15 July 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 cricket game other than a one-day final since 1953. Twenty20 Worldwide 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 sellout crowd of 20,700. Starting 11 July 2006 19 West Indies regional teams competed in what was named the Stanford 20/20 tournament. The event has been financially backed by billionaire Allen Stanford, who gave at least US$28,000,000 funding money. West Indies legends also backed the programme, and several "looked after" the teams during their stay in and around the purpose built ground in Antigua. It is intended that the tournament will be an annual event. Guyana won the inaugural event, defeating Trinidad and Tobago by 5 wickets. The top prize for the winning team was US$1,000,000, but other prizes were given throughout the tournament, such as play of the match (US$10,000) and man of the match (US$25,000). On 1 November 2008 the Superstars West Indies team (101-0/12.5 overs) beat England (99/all out) by 10 wickets.

England slumped to 33-4 and then 65-8 after 15 overs before Samit Patel's 22 took them to 99 in 19.5 overs, still easily their lowest Twenty20 total. Chris Gayle scored an impressive 65 runs not out. On 5 January 2007 Queensland Bulls played the New South Wales Blues at The Gabba, Brisbane. A crowd of 11,000 was expected based on pre-match ticket sales. However, an unexpected 16,000 turned up on the day to buy tickets, causing disruption and confusion for surprised Gabba staff as they were forced to throw open gates and grant many fans free entry. Attendance reached 27,653. For 1 February 2008's Twenty20 match between Australia and India, 84,041 people attended the match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground involving the Twenty20 World Champions against the ODI World Champions. Twenty20 Internationals On 17 February 2005 Australia defeated New Zealand in the first men's full 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/beards and hair styles 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 the 13 June 2005, which England won by a record margin of 100 runs. 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 The Gabba. Australia convincingly won the match with man of the match Damien Martyn scoring 96 runs. 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 - NZC handed out life-size cardboard masks of his face to patrons as they entered the ground. Criticism Although the format has been proved successful, it has been argued that since Twenty20 encourages far-from-technical cricket, youngsters wanting to pick up the game will be misguided into believing that cricket is all about trying to hit 6s and 4s no matter how you do it. 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 irrespective of role in the team. Not everyone accords with this view, however, citing for instance the fact that a retired player like Shane Warne has been successful in such tournaments as the IPL. Shane Warne has never been known for physical fitness. However, other successful retired players such as Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden have. In fact, Hayden credited retirement from International cricket with aiding his performance in general and fitness in particular in the IPL. 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." Match format and rules Format Twenty20 match format is similar to limited overs cricket in that it involves two teams, each with a single innings, the key difference being each team bats for a maximum of 20 overs. In terms of visual format, 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". General rules The Laws of cricket apply to Twenty20, with some exceptions: Each bowler may bowl a maximum of only one-fifth of the total overs per innings (generally four, for a full, uninterrupted game). i.e., 4 in the 20 overs Should a bowler deliver a no ball by overstepping the popping crease, it costs 1 run and 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".

(Strictly speaking, the very rare methods of dismissal from a "no ball" – for hitting the ball twice, obstructing the field or handling the ball – also apply to the "free-hit" delivery.) Umpires may award five penalty-runs at their discretion if they believe either team is wasting time. 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. (sometimes referred to as the powerplay) After the first six overs, a maximum of five fielders can be outside the fielding circle. If the fielding team doesn't 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" Each team nominates three batsmen and one bowler to play a one-over per side "mini-match", sometimes referred to as a "One1". 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. Tied Twenty20 matches were previously decided by a "Bowl-out". International Also See - Twenty20 International Twenty20 Internationals have been played since 2005. To date, 17 nations have played the format, including all test playing nations. Australia (17 February 2005)ª (ª Dates after each teams' names indicate their debut Twenty20 International) ICC World Twenty20 tournament Also See - ICC World Twenty20 Every two years an ICC World Twenty20 tournament is to take place. The first tournament was in 2007 in South Africa where India defeated Pakistan in the final.

The second tournament was won by Pakistan who beat Sri Lanka by 8 wickets in England on 21st of June, 2009. The next ICC World Twenty20 tournament will be held in West Indies in May 2010. Defending Champions Pakistan are grouped with Bangladesh and Australia . Records These statistics are correct as of 30 August 2009 and include all major cricket level Twenty20 matches. Most Twenty20 runs Twenty20 Cricket, 2020 Cricket, Twenty20, Twenty20 Cup, Twenty20 International, Twenty20 Worldwide TWENTY20 Twenty20 Twenty20 is a type of cricket, initially established in England for specialized inter-county contest by the England and Wales Cricket Board in 2003.A Twenty20 match engages two teams, each one has a distinct innings, batting for utmost of 20 over�s. Twenty20 cricket is also identified as T20 cricket. It has been played at club level for days, habitually in evenings when dawn was a problem.

A Twenty20 game is fulfilled in about three and half hours, with both innings lasting around 75 minutes, thus carrying the game closer to the time period of other trendy team sports. It was pioneered to craft a lively form of the game which would be dazzling to audiences at the ground and spectators on television and as such it has been very victorious. It was commercially successful and has been adopted internationally. The ECB did not mean that Twenty20 would change other forms of cricket and these have sustained alongside it. Since its initiation the game has reached around the cricket world. On most worldwide tours there is at least one Twenty20 match and all Test-playing nations have a home cup contest. The opening International Cricket Council World Twenty20 was played in South Africa in 2007 with India succeeded by five runs against Pakistan in the final. 2009's Twenty20 World competition was phased in England and won by Pakistan. England won the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 defeated Australia in the event by 7 wickets.

History - Origins The idea of a reduced format of the game at a skilled level was conferred by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 1998 and 2001. The Benson & Hedges Cup was a one-day cricket contest for first rate counties in England and Wales that was held from 1972 to 2002, one of cricket's longest finance deals. When the Benson & Hedges Cup ended in 2002, the ECB looked-for a different one day competition to fill its place. The cricketing authorities were looking to boost up the game's fame with the younger age band in response to deteriorating crowds and compact sponsorship. It was anticipated to convey fast paced, exciting cricket reachable to thousands of fans who were defer by the longer versions of the game. Stuart Robertson, the marketing manager of the ECB, planned a 20 over per innings match to county chairmen in 2001 and they voted 11-7 in errand of adopting the new format. A media group was invited to enlarge a name for the new amusement and Twenty20 was the selected title. Twenty20 cricket is also known as T20 cricket.

Twenty20 cricket was officially initiated in 2003 when the ECB launched the Twenty20 Cup and was promoted with the slogan �I don�t like cricket, I love it�, captured from the 10cc song "Dreadlock Holiday". The first authorized Twenty20 games were played on 13 June 2003 among the English counties in the Twenty20 Cup. The first spell of Twenty20 in England was a qualified achievement, with the Surrey Lions defeating the Warwickshire Bears by 9 wickets in the final to claim the Twenty20 Cup. On 15 July 2004 Middlesex vs. Surrey (the foremost Twenty20 game to be held at Lord's) paying attention a crowd of 26,500, the prime crowd for any county cricket fixture other than a one-day final since 1953. Twenty20Worldwide On 10 January 2005 Australia's former Twenty20 competition was played at the WACA Ground between the Western Warriors and the Victorian Bushrangers. It drew a surrendered crowd of 20,700.

Opening 11 July 2006 19 West Indies local teams battled in what was named the Stanford 20/20 tournament. The event has been economically backed by billionaire Allen Stanford, who gave at least US$28,000,000 granting money. West Indies celebrities also supported the programme, and some "looked after" the side during their stay in and around the reason built ground in Antigua. Guyana won the inaugural affair, defeating Trinidad and Tobago by 5 wickets. Scheduled 1 February 2008's Twenty20 contest between Australia and India, 84,041people focused the match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground concerning the Twenty20 World Champions besides the ODI World Champions. Twenty20 magnetized many admirers to the game through the Indian Premier League. The first Indian Premier League which was junctured in India in 2008 revolutionized the face of the game. The league implicated over hundreds of players bonded and over billion dollars speculation. It was won by Rajasthan Royals with the Chennai Super Kings concluding as runners-up.

The second version was staged in South Africa which was won by Deccan Chargers striking the Royal Challengers in the last. The third edition was played in India regardless of the many disputes and arguments occurred. The union was won by the Chennai Super Kings with Mumbai Indians lasting as the runners-up. Twenty20 Internationals On 17 February 2005 Australia beated New Zealand in the first men's complete international Twenty20 match, played at Eden Park in Auckland. The competition was played in a light-hearted manner. The initial Twenty20 international in England was played amid England and Australia at the Rose Bowl in Hampshire on 13 June 2005, which England won by a margin of 100 runs. On 9 January 2006 Australia and South Africa met in the opening international Twenty20 fixture in Australia. At first, each player's pet name emerged on the back of his uniform, relatively than his surname. The international game drew a crowd of 38,894 people at The Gabba. Australia credibly won the match with man of the match Damien Martyn scoring 96 runs.

On 16 February 2006 New Zealand conquered West Indies in a tie-breaking bowl-out 3-0; 126 runs were scored respectively in the game accurately. The competition was the last international match played by Chris Cairns - tendered out actual size cardboard cover of his face to benefactor as they entered the ground. Impact on the game Twenty20 cricket is alleged to have effected in a more agile and "explosive" form of cricket. Indian fitness coach Ramji Srinivasan affirmed in an discussion with the Indian fitness website Takath.com, that Twenty20 had "raised the bar" in terms of fitness stage for all players, insisting higher levels of strength, speed, agility and reaction moment from all players irrespective of function in the team. Not each person pacts with this inspection, however, quoting for instance the fact that a retired player like Shane Warne has been victorious in such game as the IPL. Ramesh Powar is one better example of a "flabby" player who has thrived in the IPL. Shane Warne has by no means known for physical fitness. On the other hand, victorious retired players such as Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden have.

In fact, Hayden acclaimed retirement from International cricket with assisting his performance in common and fitness in particular in the IPL. Match format and rules Format Twenty20 match design is akin to limited overs cricket in that it entails two teams, each with a single innings, the key variation being each squad bats for a maximum of 20 overs. In conditions of image system, the batting team associate do not arrive from and leave to habitual dressing rooms, but come and go from a "bench" (in general a row of chairs) noticeable in the playing dome. General Rules The rules of cricket concern to Twenty20, with some exceptions: Every bowler may bowl a maximum of just one-fifth of the total overs per innings. For a complete, endless match, this is 4 overs. Must a bowler deliver a no ball by exceeding the popping crease, it costs 1 run and his next release is designated a "free-hit". In this event the batsman can only be fired through a run out, hitting the ball twice, hindering the field or handling the ball. The following fielding restrictions apply: No further than five fielders can be on the leg side at any time.

At some point in the first six overs, a limit of two fielders can be outside the 30-yard circle (This is sometimes known as the powerplay). Once the first six overs, a bound of five fielders can be outside the fielding circle. If the fielding squad does not begin to bowl their 20th over within 75 minutes, the batting side is certified an extra six runs for every full over bowled after the 75 minute spot, the umpire may include more time to this if they think the batting team is wasting time. Tie fixes Presently, if the game ends with the scores tied and there must be a winner, the tie is busted with a one over per side "Eliminator" or "Super Over": Each side proposes three batsmen and one bowler to play a one-over per side "mini-match", occasionally referred to as a "One1".In circle, each side bats one over bowled by the one chosen conflict bowler, with their innings over if they drop two wickets prior to the over is completed. The team with the higher gain from their Super Over wins. Tied Twenty20 games were formerly decided by a "Bowl-out".

Champions Twenty20 League The Champions League Twenty20 frequently called CLT20 is a twenty20-based cricket contest aspects side from India, South Africa, England, Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Pakistan and the West Indies. The game on the other hand does not mark equal number of teams from each country. The Winners and the runners-up of the home club from Pakistan, India, and South Africa, England and Australia and the winners of the other 4 countries are also traited in the tournament. 2008 Season The foremost edition was believed to have featured in India with 8 teams. Although there were rumours that only teams from India, South Africa, Australia and England would be permitted to take part, Sialkot Stallions of Pakistan was also allowed entry. The contest was however deferred and later terminated due to the 2008 Mumbai attacks. 2009 Season After the abolition of the opening edition, the tournament observed few changes to boost fan support. The association was to trait 2 teams from India, South Africa, Australia and England and 1 each from West Indies, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The design of the game was also changed in comparison to the Twenty20 World Cup.

Conversely Sialkot Stallions from Pakistan were denied admission due to the political tensions amid India and Pakistan. Delhi Daredevils the group topper of the IPL were preferred to surrogate them. 2010 Season The 2010 Champions League Twenty20 was apprehended in the month of September in South Africa. There were only 10 squads instead of 12 as the top 2 English counties could not play a part. The 10 squads were positioned in two groups. Chennai Super Kings stroked the Chevrolet Warriors of South Africa in the final. cricket | sport | Britannica.com Cricket gridiron football Cricket, England ’s national summer sport, which is now played throughout the world, particularly in Australia, India, Pakistan, the West Indies, and the British Isles . England’s Alec Stewart batting in front of Namibia’s Melt Van Schoor during the Cricket World Cup … Michael Walker—AP/Wide World Photos Cricket is played with a bat and ball and involves two competing sides (teams) of 11 players.

The field is oval with a rectangular area in the middle, known as the pitch, that is 22 yards (20.12 metres) by 10 feet (3.04 metres) wide. Two sets of three sticks, called wickets , are set in the ground at each end of the pitch. Across the top of each wicket lie horizontal pieces called bails. The sides take turns at batting and bowling (pitching); each turn is called an “innings” (always plural). Sides have one or two innings each, depending on the prearranged duration of the match, the object being to score the most runs. The bowlers, delivering the ball with a straight arm, try to break (hit) the wicket with the ball so that the bails fall. This is one of several ways that the batsman is dismissed, or put out. A bowler delivers six balls at one wicket (thus completing an “over”), then a different player from his side bowls six balls to the opposite wicket. The batting side defends its wicket. Location of wickets and principal playing positions on cricket field. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

There are two batsman up at a time, and the batsman being bowled to (the striker) tries to hit the ball away from the wicket. A hit may be defensive or offensive. A defensive hit may protect the wicket but leave the batsmen no time to run to the opposite wicket. In that case the batsmen need not run, and play will resume with another bowl. If the batsman can make an offensive hit, he and the second batsman (the nonstriker) at the other wicket change places. Each time both batsmen can reach the opposite wicket, one run is scored. Providing they have enough time without being caught out and dismissed, the batsmen may continue to cross back and forth between the wickets, earning an additional run for each time both reach the opposite side. There is an outside boundary around the cricket field. A ball hit to or beyond the boundary scores four points if it hits the ground and then reaches the boundary, six points if it reaches the boundary from the air (a fly ball). The team with the highest number of runs wins a match. Should both teams be unable to complete their number of innings before the time allotted, the match is declared a draw.

Scores in the hundreds are common in cricket. Similar Topics Matches in cricket can range from informal weekend afternoon encounters on village greens to top-level international contests spread over five days in Test matches and played by leading professional players in grand stadiums. History Origin Cricket is believed to have begun possibly as early as the 13th century as a game in which country boys bowled at a tree stump or at the hurdle gate into a sheep pen. This gate consisted of two uprights and a crossbar resting on the slotted tops; the crossbar was called a bail and the entire gate a wicket . The fact that the bail could be dislodged when the wicket was struck made this preferable to the stump , which name was later applied to the hurdle uprights. Early manuscripts differ about the size of the wicket, which acquired a third stump in the 1770s, but by 1706 the pitch—the area between the wickets—was 22 yards long. British Culture and Politics The ball , once presumably a stone, has remained much the same since the 17th century.

Its modern weight of between 5.5 and 5.75 ounces (156 and 163 grams) was established in 1774. The primitive bat was no doubt a shaped branch of a tree, resembling a modern hockey stick but considerably longer and heavier. The change to a straight bat was made to defend against length bowling, which had evolved with cricketers in Hambledon, a small village in southern England. The bat was shortened in the handle and straightened and broadened in the blade, which led to forward play, driving, and cutting . As bowling technique was not very advanced during this period, batting dominated bowling through the 18th century. The early years EU Considers Rules For Robots The earliest reference to an 11-a-side match, played in Sussex for a stake of 50 guineas, dates from 1697. In 1709 Kent met Surrey in the first recorded intercounty match at Dartford, and it is probable that about this time a code of laws (rules) existed for the conduct of the game, although the earliest known version of such rules is dated 1744.

Sources suggest that cricket was limited to the southern counties of England during the early 18th century, but its popularity grew and eventually spread to London, notably to the Artillery Ground, Finsbury, which saw a famous match between Kent and All-England in 1744. Heavy betting and disorderly crowds were common at matches. The aforementioned Hambledon Club, playing in Hampshire on Broadhalfpenny Down, was the predominant cricket force in the second half of the 18th century before the rise of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in London. Formed from a cricket club that played at White Conduit Fields, the club moved to Lord’s Cricket Ground in St. Marylebone borough in 1787 and became the MCC and in the following year published its first revised code of laws. Lord’s, which was named after its founder, Thomas Lord, has had three locations over its history. Moving to the current ground in St. John’s Wood in 1814, Lord’s became the headquarters of world cricket. In 1836 the first match of North counties versus South counties was played, providing clear evidence of the spread of cricket.

In 1846 the All-England XI, founded by William Clarke of Nottingham, began touring the country, and from 1852, when some of the leading professionals (including John Wisden, who later compiled the first of the famous Wisden almanacs on cricketing) seceded to form the United All-England XI, these two teams monopolized the best cricket talent until the rise of county cricket. They supplied the players for the first English touring team overseas in 1859. Technical development Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram Pinterest Until early in the 19th century all bowling was underhand, and most bowlers favoured the high-tossed lob. Next came “the round-arm revolution,” in which many bowlers began raising the point at which they released the ball. Controversy raged furiously, and in 1835 the MCC rephrased the law to allow the hand to be raised as high as the shoulder. The new style led to a great increase in pace, or bowling speed. Gradually bowlers raised the hand higher and higher in defiance of the law.

Matters were brought to a head in 1862 when an England team playing against Surrey left the field at London’s Kennington Oval in protest over a “no ball” call (i.e., an umpire’s decision that the bowler has thrown an illegal pitch). The argument centred on whether the bowler should be allowed to raise his arm above the shoulder. As a result of this controversy, the bowler was in 1864 officially accorded liberty to bowl overhand (but not to cock and straighten the arm). This change dramatically altered the game, making it yet more difficult for a batsman to judge the ball. Already a bowler was allowed to take a running start from any direction and for any distance. Once the bowler was allowed to release overhand, the ball could then reach speeds above 90 mph (145 km/hr). Though this is not as fast as the pitching speed in baseball , cricket has an additional twist in that the ball is usually delivered so as to bounce on the pitch (field) before the batsman can hit it. Thus, the ball may curve to the right or the left, bounce low or high, or spin toward or away from the batsman.

Batsmen learned to protect themselves with pads and batting gloves, and a cane handle increased the resilience of the bat. Only the best batsmen, however, could cope with fast bowling, because the poor condition of most pitches made it yet more difficult for a batsman to predict the motion of the ball. As the grounds improved, however, batsmen grew accustomed to the new bowling style and went on the offensive. Other new bowling styles were also discovered, causing batsmen to adjust their technique further. Britannica Lists & Quizzes Editor Picks: Exploring 10 Types of Basketball Movies In the early 20th century so many runs were being scored that debate ensued on reforming the “leg-before-wicket ” law, which had been introduced in the 1774 laws to prohibit a batsman from using his body to prevent the ball from hitting his wicket. But the heavy scores were actually due to the performances of several outstanding batsmen, such as W.G. Grace , Sir John Berry Hobbs , and K.S. Ranjitsinhji (later the maharaja of Nawanagar). This was cricket’s golden age. W.G. Grace (right), batting in an 1890s match.

The Bettmann Archive In the 20th century there was a series of attempts to aid the bowler and quicken the tempo of the game. Nevertheless, the game by the mid-20th century was characterized not by overwhelming offense but by defensive play on both sides and by a slow pace. In an attempt to shore up a declining fan base, one-day, or limited-overs, cricket was introduced. One-day cricket had first been played internationally when, after a Test match was rained out for the first days, on the last scheduled day of play a limited-overs match was held in order to give the fans some game to watch. The response was enthusiastic, and one-day cricket came into being. In this version of cricket the limited number of overs (usually 50 per side) leads to a faster paced though much-altered game. In one-day cricket there are some restrictions on placement of fielders. This led to new batting styles, such as the paddle shot (wherein the ball is hit behind the wicket because there are usually no fielders there) and the lofted shot (where the batsman tries to hit the ball past the fielders and over their heads).

Twenty20 (T20) , a style of one-day cricket consisting of 20 overs per side, debuted in 2003 and quickly became an international sensation. The first Twenty20 world championship was held in 2007, and one-day cricket, particularly Twenty20, became more popular than Test matches worldwide, although Test cricket retained a large following in England. The pace of Test matches increased dramatically in the late 20th century with the introduction of new bowling strategies. Organization of sport and types of competition Trending Topics Lady Flora Hastings County and university cricket Some of the earliest organized cricket matches were between amateur and professional players. From 1806 (annually from 1819) to 1962, the Gentlemen-versus-Players match pitted the best amateurs against the best professionals. The series was ended in 1962 when the MCC and the counties abandoned the distinction between amateurs and professionals. Other early cricket matches took place between British universities. The Oxford -versus- Cambridge match, for example, has been played mainly at Lord’s since 1827 and became a high point of the summer season in London.

University cricket was a kind of nursery for county cricket—i.e., matches between the various counties of England. Although the press acclaimed a “champion county” (Sussex) as early as 1827, qualification rules for county cricket were not laid down until 1873, and it was only in 1890 that the format of the county championship was formalized by the counties themselves. Gloucestershire dominated the 1870s, thanks to W.G. Grace and his brothers E.M. and G.F. Grace. From the 1880s to World War I , Nottinghamshire , Surrey , Yorkshire , Lancashire , Kent , and Middlesex constituted the Big Six that dominated county cricket. After World War I the northern counties, led by Yorkshire and Lancashire, largely professional teams, were the leaders. Surrey, with seven successive championships, dominated in the 1950s and Yorkshire in the 1960s, followed by Kent and Middlesex in the 1970s. The 1980s were dominated by Middlesex, Worcestershire , Essex , and Nottinghamshire.

Other counties in first-class county cricket are Leicestershire , Somerset , Hampshire , Durham , Derbyshire , Warwickshire , Sussex , Northamptonshire , and Glamorgan . After a postwar boom, slow play and lower numbers of runs characterized the 1950s, and this defensive nature of county cricket led to progressively decreased attendance. In the 1960s the MCC and the counties introduced a one-day knockout competition—called the Gillette Cup (1963–1980), the NatWest Bank Trophy (1981–2000), the C&G Trophy (2000–06), and the Friends Provident Trophy (2006–09)—and a separate Sunday afternoon league (the two competitions were merged in 2010 as the Clydesdale Bank 40), which revived public interest, although most counties remained dependent financially on proceeds from football pools and money received from Test matches and broadcasting fees. The immediate registration of overseas players was permitted, and each county, as of the early 1980s, was allowed one such player, who could, however, still play for his national team.

The change worked well for the counties, and it also strengthened the national teams for whom those players appeared. In county cricket, bonus points were created to encourage batsmen and bowlers to play less defensively, and from 1988, to help the development of young batsmen and spin bowlers, four-day games increasingly replaced the three-day format. The longer game gives batsmen more time to build an innings and relieves them of the pressure to score runs quickly. Spin bowlers benefit from the longer game because the pitch wears as the game progresses and permits greater spin. The Cricket Council and the ECB A reorganization of English cricket took place in 1969, resulting in the end of the MCC’s long reign as the controlling body of the game, though the organization still retains responsibility for the laws. With the establishment of the Sports Council (a government agency charged with control of sports in Great Britain ) and with the possibility of obtaining government aid for cricket, the MCC was asked to create a governing body for the game along the lines generally accepted by other sports in Great Britain. The Cricket Council, comprising the Test and County Cricket Board (TCCB), the National Cricket Association (NCA), and the MCC, was the result of these efforts.

The TCCB, which amalgamated the Advisory County Cricket Committee and the Board of Control of Test Matches at Home, had responsibility for all first-class and minor-counties cricket in England and for overseas tours. The NCA consisted of representatives from clubs, schools, armed services cricket, umpires, and the Women’s Cricket Association. In 1997 there was another reorganization, and the TCCB, the NCA, and the Cricket Council were all subsumed under the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Marcus K. Williams Rex Alston International cricket International cricket in the early part of the 20th century was dominated by the original members of the Imperial Cricket Conference, England , Australia, and South Africa. Later renamed the International Cricket Conference and then the International Cricket Council , the ICC gradually took over more responsibility for the administration of the game and shifted its power base from west to east. When in 2005 the ICC moved its offices from Lord’s in London—home of the MCC, the game’s original rulers and still its lawmakers—to Dubai , the shift away from the old ways of governance was complete. The priorities of the game changed too.

By the turn of the 21st century, only Australia and England still played Test cricket to full houses. Everywhere else, and particularly in India and Pakistan, crowds flocked to see limited-overs internationals. Test cricket became almost an afterthought. Although the power to change the laws of the game have remained with the MCC, the ICC developed its own Code of Conduct for players, officials, and administrators, which sets out disciplinary procedures and protects the spirit of the game. It also organized major international tournaments, including the one-day and Twenty20 World Cups and the Champions Trophy. In 2000 the ICC set up the Anti-Corruption Unit (renamed the Anti-Corruption Unit and Security Unit in 2003) to combat the growing threat of illegal gambling and match fixing. At the beginning of the 2010s, the ICC had 10 full members and dozens of associate and affiliate members. Lord’s Cricket Ground, London. Paddy Briggs Australia One of the founding members of the ICC, Australia remains one of its most powerful countries both on and off the field.

The history of cricket in Australia dates to 1803 when the game was introduced by the crew of a British ship. The first intercolonial match took place in 1851 between Victoria and Tasmania , and by the end of the 19th century teams from England were touring Australia regularly. The first official Test match was played in Melbourne in 1877 by Australia and England, beginning the oldest rivalry in international cricket, a series that became known as The Ashes (see Test Matches below). D.M. Jones, batsman for Australia’s team in a cricket Test match, placing the ball to the leg side … Colorsport Cricket is played throughout Australia, and matches are ferociously competitive at every level. All the great Australian players from Sir Don Bradman to Shane Warne developed their skills in club cricket before graduating to the state and national teams, and the Australian style of cricket is marked by aggressiveness with bat, ball, and, often, voice in an attempt to intimidate opponents.

Through the 20th century, Australia produced a series of outstanding teams, and the country dominated international cricket into the new century, winning three successive one-day World Cups (1999–2007) and twice recording runs of 16 consecutive Test victories (1999–2001 and 2005–08). In 2005 England’s Test victory over Australia, the first since 1987, was celebrated with an open-top bus ride through the city of London. Australia’s Shane Warne bowling the final ball of his Test career at the fifth Ashes Test match … Rob Griffith/AP Bangladesh In June 2000 Bangladesh became the 10th country to be accorded full Test status. It played its first Test match in November of that year, against India in Dhaka . Known as the Tigers, the Bangladeshi team struggled to perform at the highest level, winning only three of its first 68 Tests. However, Bangladesh has defeated the nine countries that preceded it to Test status in one-day matches, a feat completed with a victory over England in Bristol in 2010.

Bangladesh’s first appearance in an international tournament had come in England in the ICC Trophy competition for associate members in 1979. In 1997 Bangladesh won the trophy and qualified for the 1999 World Cup, beating Pakistan in the group stages. A domestic first-class tournament between six regional teams was established in 2000–01. Since Bangladesh gained Test status, cricket arguably has become the most popular sport in the country. India Cricket is played in every corner of India , on city streets, in village fields, and on maidans—open playing fields, the largest of which (such as the Azad, Cross, and Oval maidans in South Mumbai ) can host dozens of overlapping matches. Historically, Indian cricketers have displayed a good eye and strong wrists, and Indian batsmen, most notably Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar , have been some of the most productive and stylish in the history of cricket. The dry flat pitches of the subcontinent have also traditionally produced high-class spin bowlers. Sunil Gavaskar. Adrian Murrell—Allsport The origins of the game in India date to the 18th century.

A touring team led by the English gentleman cricketer Lord Hawke played a match against the “All India” team in January 1893. India played its first Test in 1932 and waited 20 years for its first Test victory, against England in Madras (now Chennai ). The game developed so fast in India, however, that by the end of the 20th century India was one of the world’s foremost cricketing countries. With the growth of the Indian Premier League in the early 21st century, it became the undisputed home of Twenty20 cricket and the financial hub of the international game, though the popularity of Test cricket has declined dramatically in India. India’s prominence in one-day cricket was further confirmed when it won the Cricket World Cup in 2011. New Zealand Cricket has always taken second place to rugby in the sports priorities of New Zealanders, but, as in Australia, the game has a strong national structure in New Zealand. The long history of domestic cricket in the country is often dated from the first representative interprovincial match, between Auckland and Wellington , in 1860, though there is evidence that unofficial matches between provinces were played in New Zealand decades earlier.

The NZ Cricket Council was formed in 1894 and was admitted to full membership of the ICC in 1926. With only a small base of players on which to draw, New Zealand has always struggled to compete with England and Australia in Test cricket. As in most cricketing countries, the one-day game has proved more popular in New Zealand. In Richard Hadlee, who was knighted in 1990, the country produced one of the greatest cricketers of any era. New Zealand’s Ross Taylor batting a ball as South African wicketkeeper Quinton De Kock (right) … David Rowland/AP Images Pakistan The development of cricket in Pakistan has been chaotic, quixotic , and exotic in roughly equal measure. Under the leadership of Imran Khan , Pakistan won the 1992 World Cup, but often its cricket was blighted by political interference and scandal.

A low point was reached in 2010: To begin with, the national team was in virtual exile, unable to persuade other countries to play in Pakistan for fear of terrorist attacks in the wake of an assault in Lahore on the visiting Sri Lankan team bus in March 2009 that left six policemen dead and several players injured. Moreover, three members of the Pakistani team touring England were involved in allegations of “ spot fixing”—that is, fixing the results of certain bowls in return for money—and were banned by the ICC. Huge profits could be made in illegal betting markets in Asia by predicting the results of individual bowls. Only a few years earlier several Pakistan players also had been banned as a result of investigations over match fixing. Yet Pakistan has also produced a host of talented cricketers such as Khan, Wasim Akram , Abdul Qadir , and Inzamam-ul-Haq and has proved itself adept at Twenty20 cricket, winning the T20 World Cup in 2009. South Africa South Africa played its first Test, against England in Port Elizabeth , as early as in 1889. Cricket has been at the heart of the country’s sporting culture ever since.

When South Africa was banned from the ICC from 1970 to 1991 because of its apartheid policies, cricket administrators worked quietly to integrate nonwhite players into the system, which was based largely on traditional all-white schools and state teams. When apartheid was abolished, cricket was far more prepared to cope with the social and political changes than was rugby union . Makhaya Ntini, a world-class fast bowler, who made his international debut for South Africa in 1998 and played in more than 100 Tests, served as a role model for the new generation of black cricketers. On the other hand, in 2000 Hansie Cronje , the captain of South Africa, was banned for match fixing in a scandal that brought into question the integrity of South African cricket. It was not until 2003, when South Africa hosted a successful World Cup, that the rehabilitation of country’s cricketing reputation was complete. South Africa has always been a great exporter of cricketers, mainly to England.

Allan Lamb and Robin Smith were prominent members of the England team in the 1980s and ’90s; Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott were mainstays of the Ashes-winning side of 2010. Sri Lanka Even before Test status was awarded to Sri Lanka in 1981, the island country was a popular destination for touring teams, particularly for English teams on the way to Australia by boat. Given the disadvantages of its relatively small population and of the civil war that disrupted life on the island for three decades, Sri Lanka developed into a top cricketing country with surprising speed. In 1996 it won the World Cup, beating Australia in the final by playing aggressive, innovative cricket under the inspired leadership of Arjuna Ranatunga. The victory instilled belief in a new generation of players that included Sanath Jayasuriya; Mahela Jayawardene, an elegant and aggressive batsmen; and Muttiah Muralitharan , who in 2010 became the first bowler to take 800 Test wickets.

The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 devastated the cricket-playing regions of southern Sri Lanka, including the Test match ground at Galle , and took the lives of many promising young players. Nonetheless, Sri Lanka recovered to reach the World Cup final again in 2007. Calamity struck again in 2009, when the Sri Lankan team’s bus was attacked by terrorists on the way to the ground for the second Test against Pakistan in Lahore. Sri Lankans Mahela Jayawardene (right) and Kumar Sangakkara congratulating each other after the … AP West Indies Cricket has been a unifying force in the Caribbean since the West Indies became the fourth Test-playing side in 1928. The islands have generally played other sports as independent countries, but British colonial influence contributed to the formation of a united regional team. For a time in the 1970s and ’80s, when the West Indian team featured a quartet of fast bowlers—led by Michael Holding , Malcolm Marshall , Andy Roberts , and Joel Garner —and batsmen of the destructive capacity of Sir Viv Richards and Clive Lloyd , the West Indies were virtually unbeatable.

Blessed with an abundance of talented players and true pitches, Caribbean cricket has always been played with an unorthodox flourish, seen most clearly in the batsmanship of Sir Garfield Sobers , Richards, and Brian Lara . Sir Viv Richards. © Getty Images In the 21st century cricket declined in popularity in the West Indies, a result of a lack of strong administrative leadership and because of the increasing appeal of potentially more lucrative sports such as athletics (track and field), football (soccer) and basketball . After playing in the finals of the first three World Cups (1975, 1979, and 1983) and winning the first two, the West Indian team failed—with the exception of 1996—to reach even the knockout stage of subsequent World Cups, including in 2007, as the host of the event. Zimbabwe Until Test status was granted to Zimbabwe in 1992, the country’s best cricketers, such as Colin Bland, played for South Africa. Indeed, the history of the cricket in the two countries has been inextricably linked.

Long before the newly independent and renamed Zimbabwe became an associate member of the ICC in 1980, teams representing its Rhodesian forerunner states had participated in the Currie Cup, the South African domestic first-class tournament (first in 1904–05, then in the early 1930s, and again after World War II). Competing in its first World Cup in 1983, Zimbabwe surprised the world by beating Australia, yet Graeme Hick, arguably the country’s best batsman, left shortly thereafter to play for England. Zimbabwean cricket in the early 21st century has been marked by chaotic administration and political interference. In 2004 Heath Streak was sacked as captain of the national team, precipitating a crisis from which Zimbabwe took years to emerge, including an exile from Test cricket that began in 2006 and ended in 2011. The country’s political volatility during this period had much to do with the situation. In the 2003 World Cup, for example, England forfeited its match in Zimbabwe, citing security concerns.

During the same tournament, two Zimbabwe players, Andy Flower and Henry Olonga, wore black armbands to “mourn the death of democracy” in their country. Andrew Longmore Test matches The first Test match, played by two national teams, was between Australia and England in Melbourne in 1877, with Australia winning. When Australia again won at the Oval at Kennington, London, in 1882, the Sporting Times printed an obituary notice announcing that English cricket would be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia, thus creating the “play for the Ashes.” The Ashes, kept in an urn at Lord’s irrespective of which country is victorious, are supposed to be those of a bail burned on the England tour of Australia in 1882–83. For the rest of the 19th century, the two countries met almost yearly. With W.G. Grace , the greatest cricketer of Victorian England, on its side, England was often too strong for the Australians, though Australia had the greatest bowler of this era in F.R. Spofforth and the first of the great wicketkeepers in J.McC. Blackham. Ashes urn.

Daniel Greef In 1907 South Africa first played Test matches in England and also took on Australia, whose dominance between the two World Wars was symbolized by the prodigious run scoring of Sir Don Bradman . This period saw a notable growth in the number of Test match countries with the arrival of the West Indies in 1928, New Zealand in 1930, and India in 1932. Don Bradman, 1934. © Lordprice Collection/Alamy The visit of the English side to Australia in 1932–33 severely strained relations between the countries because of the use of “ bodyline” bowling tactics, in which the ball was bowled close to or at the batsman. This scheme was devised by the English captain, D.R. Jardine, and involved fast short-pitched deliveries bowled to the batsman’s body so that the batter would be hit on the upper body or head or, alternatively, would be caught out by one of the fielders on the leg side (the side behind the striker when in a batting stance).

The plan was devised to curb Bradman’s scoring, but it led to a large number of serious injuries on the Australian team. The practice was felt to be unsportsmanlike by the Australians, who protested vigorously. The series was played out (with England winning 3–1), but it created bitter feeling on the part of Australia for some time to come. Bodyline bowling tactics were banned soon after the series. After World War II there were Test matches in England every summer, Australia being the most frequent visitor, and the Test ranks were increased by the addition of Pakistan in 1952. There was a steady escalation of tours between the Test-playing countries to the extent that, while the first 500 Test matches were spread over 84 years, the next 500 occupied only 23. Sri Lanka’s entry in 1982 as the eighth Test-playing country came during an era dominated by the West Indies, whose devastating attack was founded, for the first time in cricket history, on four fast bowlers. Zimbabwe was admitted as a Test country in 1992 and Bangladesh in 2000.

One-day internationals—answering the complaint that Test matches went on too long—began in 1972. In 1975 the first World Cup was contested in England in a series of one-day matches of 60 overs a side (the number of overs was reduced to 50 in 1987). The event was a great success and continued at four-year intervals. It was held outside England, in India and Pakistan, for the first time in 1987. Sri Lanka defeating Australia at the 1996 World Cup cricket matches. Shaun Botterill—Allsport/Getty Images Test cricket has faced a number of crises since the late 1960s. In one such case in 1969–70, a South African tour of England was canceled because of opposition to South African apartheid. Violence, damage, and disruption of play had been threatened. A further threat to Test cricket was posed by an Australian television network executive, Kerry Packer , who signed many of the world’s leading players for a series of private contests between 1977 and 1979.

Reprisals were brought against the players but were overruled after court action in England. The players returned to the fold, but commercialism had taken hold of the game. In 1982 the agreement of 12 first-class English players to take part—in breach of official guidelines—in a commercially sponsored South African tour with fees of up to £50,000 per player led to the players’ being banned from Test cricket for three years. Cricketers from Sri Lanka and the West Indies also toured South Africa and received more stringent sanctions, and the engagement of English professionals as players and coaches in South Africa threatened a serious division between the Test-playing countries that ended only with the repeal of apartheid. Test cricket was again rocked by a scandal that began in 1999 regarding match fixing. While betting on matches had been common in England in the early days of cricket, many Test countries had banned such betting in the modern era. In India and Pakistan betting on cricket was legal, however, and cricketers playing international matches there reported being asked by bookmakers and betting syndicates to underperform in return for money.

Members of the Australian, South African, Indian, and Pakistani national teams were all tainted by this scandal, several players were banned from cricket for life, and the integrity of the game was called into question. Marcus K. Williams Rex Alston 21st-century developments The advent of Twenty20 cricket (T20) and the wild success of the IPL in the first decade of the 21st century led to a period of great innovation in the game. The new, truncated form of the game privileged batting, partly by restricting the placement of fielders and shortening the boundaries. To counter free-scoring batsmen with heavy bats, bowlers began to perfect a great variety of different balls (deliveries). Disguise became an essential part of the bowler’s armoury. Slow spin-bowling, which forces the batsman to generate “pace” (that is, to provide the bulk of the power to propel the batted ball, whereas fast bowling contributes more force to the batsman’s swing), proved a surprisingly effective weapon.

Among the new shots that became commonplace for batsmen in T20 cricket was the reverse sweep, wherein a right-handed batsman, in mid-delivery, changes hands to swing at the ball like a left-hander (or a left-hander swings like a right-hander). Batters also began employing the scoop, a shot played almost vertically over the wicketkeeper’s head. Test cricket also benefited from these new techniques and from the new era of creativity, not least from the introduction of the doosra, a delivery disguised to look like an off-spinner that actually turns away from the right-handed batsman like a leg-spinner. Developed by the Pakistan off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq and taking its name from the Urdu expression meaning “the other one,” the ball was perfected by Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka, Cricket also followed other sports in its use of video technology in making onfield decisions. Initially, from its first trial in 1992, only line decisions such as run outs were decided by referral to a third umpire off the field.

But in 2008 a new referral system, in which players were allowed to refer any onfield decision to the third umpire, made its international debut in a series between India and Sri Lanka (it had been put on trial in English county cricket in 2007). Each side receives two referrals every innings (down from three when the system was first tried out). Referrals that result in the umpire changing an original decision are not counted against this total. The system was designed to eradicate an umpire’s innocent but obvious mistake and has been greeted with more enthusiasm by players than umpires. Andrew Longmore Women’s cricket Women first played cricket in England in the 18th century. In 1887 the first club, White Heather, was formed, and it survived to 1957. In 1890 two professional teams known collectively as the Original English Lady Cricketers were in action. In 1926 the Women’s Cricket Association was founded, and in 1934–35 it sent a team to Australia and New Zealand. Australia paid a return visit in 1937, and, since World War II, tours have increased.

The International Women’s Cricket Council was formed in 1958 by Australia, England, the Netherlands , New Zealand , and South Africa and later included India , Denmark , and several West Indian islands. A World Cup was instituted in 1973, two years ahead of men’s cricket, and England and Australia played in the first women’s matches at Lord’s in 1976. Sky bids £40m for rights to city-based domestic Twenty20 tournament | Sport | The Guardian Sky bids £40m for rights to city-based domestic Twenty20 tournament • Revamped competition to launch in 2017 would comprise eight teams • ECB faces opposition from counties over reduced Championship schedule Somerset facing Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl might be a thing of the past if ECB plans to launch an eight-team city-based Twenty20 competition are realised.

Photograph: Mark Kerton/ActionPlus/Corbis Saturday 25 July 2015 17.00 EDT Last modified on Thursday 11 August 2016 06.17 EDT Close This article is 1 year old Sky has offered to pay around £40m a year in broadcasting rights for a Twenty20 tournament with teams billed as cities rather than counties when the new format gets under way in 2017. The England and Wales Cricket Board chairman, Colin Graves, is known to be set on introducing a city-based T20 series and the additional revenue from Sky would allow for each team to pay big wages to lure international stars similar to those in the IPL and Australia’s Big Bash League and enable Sky to market the broadcasting rights globally. While the ECB says no final decision has been made, the Observer understands they are close to final proposals that would see a revamp of the domestic T20 competition based around eight city-based teams. Sky is keen for the tournament to be played in a three- or four-week block at the height of summer, with matches in the evenings so they can be broadcast after the end of any international matches taking place at that time.

There is real opposition among the counties to the idea, though Warwickshire have played as Birmingham Bears, and it is understood that some of Sky’s additional money will be offered as a sweetener to accept a cut in the number of Championship matches down to 12 as a way of making room for the competition. The ECB is exploring whether the franchise tournament could run in addition to a Twenty20 competition played by all 18 counties. It is likely that city-based teams would be owned by either the ECB or by the county doing the hosting rather than by private companies, as are the IPL franchises. The success of the Big Bash League and the increased viewing figures that has attracted has prompted both the ECB and Sky to consider the merits of a similar tournament in England. They have recently recruited Mike Fordham, one of the leading figures involved in launching both the IPL and the Caribbean Premier League. Fordham, who is a vice-president at IMG, a global sports and media business, was involved in drawing up IMG’s proposals for how franchise cricket might work in England and which suggested any such tournament could end up being worth over £1bn. Both the ECB and Sky declined to comment.

Hampshire Cricket | County Cricket | England Internationals · The Ageas Bowl Buy Tickets See Fixtures The Ageas Bowl, the picture-perfect home of Hampshire Cricket, plays host to 41 days of domestic cricket in 2017. The Ageas Bowl also hosts three England Internationals this year, with both South Africa and the West Indies visiting the home of Hampshire Cricket for limited-overs fixtures. 2017 Membership More Info England visit the picture-perfect venue three times this summer, firstly for a Royal London ODI clash against South Africa in May, before facing the same opposition in what's sure to be an action-packed NatWest IT20 in June, and finally contesting a potentially series-deciding Royal London ODI against the West Indies in September. Tickets for these three mouth-watering fixtures are now on general sale after a record-breaking pre-sale period. 2017 Internationals

Question: Which Cricket county's Twenty20 team are known as the 'Hawks'?
Answer: HAMPSHIRE