Twenty20 cricket - fast and furious

Also called T20, Twenty20 cricket is a shortened form of the game that has taken the cricketing world by storm. Introduced in 2003 with an emphasis on hitting and scoring, it has made cricket fast, furious and instant. Thanks to this, it has gained a whole new audience, especially for the younger crowd for whom a five-day-long Test match can simply be too long. Although some purists of the game aren’t so keen on T20, the general feeling is that anything that encourages people to take an interest in cricket can only be good. The game is played on a standard cricket ground with traditional one-day rules, with some exceptions. Bowling teams are forced to complete their 20 overs (120 balls) inside the 75-minute time limit, meaning they have an average of three minutes and 45 seconds per over. England was the first country to officially adopt a T20 tournament back in 2003, and today, all major nations have their own domestic T20 competitions. The Caribbean is no exception. The Caribbean Premier League is an annual month-long T20 cricket tournament that combines a colourful carnival experience with the region’s most loved sport. The West Indies are the only team that has won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup twice since its inauguration in 2007. And since the 2024 World Cup is to be hosted jointly by the West Indies and the United States, interest in this thrilling game can only be on the rise.