Cricket’s Next Big Thing: Inside AB de Villiers’ Innovative Test Twenty Format

The former players, AB de Villiers, Sir Clive Lloyd, Matthew Hayden, and Harbhajan Singh, have endorsed the newly-launched format called Test Twenty, which is going to begin early next year.

It will be the fourth format after the ODIs, T20Is, and Test cricket in the sport, as the former, intended for the young players between the ages of 13 and 19, will see the teams playing four innings of twenty overs each.

The new cricket format, called Test Twenty, will be played in white shirts with the red ball and take place on a single day. Each side can take a four-over-long power play once in the entire game and can enforce the follow-on with a first-innings lead of 75 runs or more. A maximum of five bowlers may be used across the match, with one bowler able to bowl a maximum of eight overs.

See Also: "Gary and MS made it..."- Virat Kohli recalls advice from World Cup-winning captain and coach amid retirement speculation

“We’ve combined Test cricket with T20 and fused them into a format that gives today’s generation what they crave, which is intensity with meaning. If you look around, there is not a single unifying platform to bring youth cricketers together. Every country has its own system, but you haven’t ever seen kids between 13 and 19 playing together as a part of a single franchise.” Gaurav Bahiravani, the architect of the format, expressed.

Cricket’s fourth format, Test Twenty, to be launched early in 2026

Lloyd, Hayden, de Villiers, and Harbhajan are members of the advisory panel. They felt that it would bring excitement among the youngsters to get into the innovative cricket format and improve their skills in the small form of the longest format.

“What excites me most is the real creative freedom that this format brings to the party. It lets players completely express themselves but also think differently and take the kind of risks that make cricket so beautiful. Beyond that, it also teaches balance. You need to have the ability to survive across two innings.”

The Test Twenty tournament will be held in India, although Bahiravani expressed the wish to take the league overseas in the following seasons. He also confirmed that even though only boys can participate in the first season, girls will be allowed to play from the second edition.