Short Form Cricket - Twenty20 Cricket

Twenty20 cricket was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board in 2003. It is a form of one-day cricket in which each team bats for a maximum of only 20 overs, contrasting with 50 overs for a standard one-day match. This means a game can be completed in about three hours, making it more palatable for children and families than longer matches. Many games also feature additional activities, such as bouncy castles or bowling speed-guns in order to provide more entertainment. It's also not unusual to have people walking around selling bottles of beer.

The English first-class counties participate in a Twenty20 Cup competition annually. Many games are played in twilight, again to enhance family spectator appeal. They also feature numerous musical 'stings' for exciting events, such as the dismissal of a batsman, or the hitting of a boundary. Such fours and sixes are made easier to achieve by the shortening of the boundaries.

Major changes from the Laws of Cricket include:

• Should a bowler deliver a no ball by overstepping the crease, 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.
• Bowlers may bowl a maximum of only 4 overs per innings, as is standard for 20-over cricket.
• Umpires may award 5-run penalties at their discretion if they believe either team is wasting time.

So far, Twenty20 has proved very popular with the public. On July 15, 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 game other than a one-day final since 1953.

On August 5, 2004, New Zealand Women defeated England Women in the first international Twenty20 match, played at Hove in England.

On January 12, 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 - the largest seen at the ground for many years.

On February 17, 2005, Australia defeated New Zealand in the first men's international Twenty20 match, played at Eden Park in Auckland.

The United States professional Pro Cricket league used a format based on Twenty20, with two other changes:

• Overs are 5 balls long.
• Bowlers are restricted to 5 overs per innings (meaning only 4 bowlers are required). (For more information on bowler restrictions, see one-day cricket.)

On September 24, 2007, India captained by Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the inaugural World Twenty20 by defeating arch rivals Pakistan in the final.

On 21 June 2009, the young Pakistani side outclassed Sri Lanka winning the second World Twenty20 comprehensively by 8 wickets.

In May 2010, England beat Australia in the final of the third World Twenty20 competition, hosted in the West Indies.