Cricket’s youngest baby, the newest format of the game is T20 cricket. Before T20 cricket, there were the two international formats, the Tests and the ODIs, and there were some others that were tried, like the Hong Kong Sixes and the Max Cricket, but T20I is the closest to the original, authentic form of cricket and has gained international recognition.

England were the inventors of the T20 cricket as well, and the reasons were not too dissimilar from those behind the invention of ODI cricket – falling gate revenues at the domestic level. It was introduced at the domestic level in 2003 before becoming a part of the international calendar in 2005.

Interestingly, unlike the first two international formats, the first ever game played at the international level in T20 cricket was between Australia and New Zealand in Auckland in 2005. Considered to be a non-serious format of the game, it saw the players dressed in kits from the 1980s. Australia went on to easily win the game, with the umpires and the players taking it light-heartedly – Glen McGrath even tried to send a delivery underarm and umpire Billy Bowden, mockingly red-carded him.

Since then the format has grown rather well into the international calendar, what with almost every tour having one or two T20I games. The World T20, an equivalent of the World Cup in this format was first played in 2007 and will be held every two years. The second World T20 was held in 2009 but to avoid clashes with the 50-over World Cup, the years have now been changed to the even years. The third World T20 was played in 2011 and all the remaining ones will now be played in alternate years after that.

Most of the rules of the T20I format are the same as the ODIs, except that the Powerplay overs last for six overs and instead of the pavilion, the players have to sit just outside the fence in a dugout. Also, a tied game is not allowed, in case of a tie, there will be a bowl-out of an over apiece.

India were one of the last teams to adopt the format but went on to win the first ever World T20 in 2007, the same year when they had been knocked out of the 2007 World Cup. This spawned off the now-defunct ICL and the IPL, which is the richest cricket tournament in the world of cricket.