New format unlocked in cricket: Test Twenty

The sport of cricket has witnessed tremendous evolution and come a long way from the time it started.

Once played exclusively in the multi-day Test format, cricket has seen several other formats come about to boost its popularity. The shorter 50-over and 20-over formats were introduced to boost global viewership numbers, and while even shorter formats like the T10 have become common, international cricket remains a matter of Tests, ODIs, and T20Is.

Many cricket fans these days find the Test format boring and prefer watching the shorter formats, which has led to empty stadiums during Test matches. The T20 format has gained massive popularity in recent years worldwide due to its shorter duration, with fewer overs played at breathtaking speed and featuring big hits and thrilling chases, attracting far more eyeballs than five-day slow burns.

Due to the decline in the viewership numbers of the longer formats — even the ODIs, to some extent — the International Cricket Council is cognizant of the matter and is constantly trying to make the game more exciting and accessible to the younger audience.

Enter Test Twenty, the latest format on the scene. Here, we take a look at what this format is all about, the expectations around it, and its pros and cons.

Format

As the name suggests, the Test Twenty format is an amalgamation of the Test and T20 formats. Each Test Twenty match is to have a total of 80 overs across four innings like Test cricket, with each innings being 20 overs long like in T20 cricket. Rules from both formats are to be applied with a few adjustments, and the match can end in a win, a loss, a tie, or a draw.

Ex-cricketers and legends Clive Lloyd, Harbhajan Singh, Matthew Hayden, and AB de Villiers were part of the advisory board and took part in deciding the important details of the format.

The format has already been approved by the ICC, with the first two editions of the Junior Test Twenty Championship set to be held in India, with the first edition to commence in January 2026. After that, the JTTC will be held around the world.

For the inaugural JTTC edition, six franchises are set to participate — three teams from India, and one each from London, Dubai, and the US. Each side will register a squad of 16 players for the competition, featuring eight Indian and eight foreign players. The players for these teams will go through an auction pool for the subsequent editions, similar to what happens in the Indian Premier League.

Expectations

This new format has been designed to specifically target the younger generation, mainly the teenagers, with the aim of making them connect with both formats and still find it energetic and thrilling. 

Formats like the Test Twenty are being seen as the future of cricket, given the growing lack of patience and busier lives. The ODI format has suffered the most, and the number of 50-over games per tour is slowly declining, with Tests and T20Is taking the lead in bilateral events.

Going forward, the Test Twenty will also see evolution. Similar to what the NCAA in the US has done for basketball, the format will aim to create a talent pool without the bias of gender, background, or location, giving everyone equal opportunity to perform and excel. 

Pros and Cons

On paper, the Test Twenty format is an interesting concept. It will test the hitting skills, fitness, and bowling skills of the players. Since it will finish in a day, it’s short and easier to follow, with the two-innings-per-team setup preserving the essence of Test cricket.

For countries with huge populations and storied cricketing legacies, this will open a new route for budding cricketers to make a name for themselves. After all, it was through the IPL that many young unknown Indian players could perform alongside top talent and take home huge salaries and global fame.

On the other hand, while it is important to evolve with the times, it is equally important to retain the beauty of the old. As a cricket “purist”, I, for one, would not want to see Test cricket being replaced with the Test Twenty entirely. The beauty of the longest format lies in the challenge, the focus, and the skill required to play and prevail over five days. The level of skill and endurance required for Test cricket is second to none.

The true quality of a batter or a bowler can only be judged by consistent performances in the longest format, and even though it can be a slow watch at times, those who have watched Test cricket evolve in recent years can vouch for the fact that it can also be as thrilling to watch as a high-scoring T20 game. The pressure, the focus, and the persistence required on the fifth day to win a Test match, with fatigue kicking in, are unmatchable.

Conclusion

If the Test Twenty is to replace the five-day Tests fully, it will need to showcase high-level skills, mental toughness, focus, and consistency, for to this day players who have performed in the sport’s longest format are seen as the very best of their kind, be it batters or bowlers.

If Test cricket is lost to time, then so will the endurance and technique among the players, who will solely be encouraged to improvise and use power to hit the ball out of the park. High-quality Test bowling skills will also suffer in the shorter format, as pitches will be made favouring the batters more often to achieve high scores.

Of course, for a new generation, the Test Twenty format may make for an exciting watch. But given this is just the beginning, and we don’t know what lies in store for the newest format on the block, it’s hard to predict what will become of the longer formats. We will know more after the first edition concludes next year.

However, for the fans who have relished watching two teams battling it out in red-ball cricket over five days of tough cricket, one hopes that the longer formats can get their fair share of attention, and that the birth of a new format doesn’t lead to the demise of another.