Why T20 Is Killing Older Forms of Cricket

T20 cricket (or Twenty20) is the newest form of international cricket, and it has taken the world by storm. With a faster rate of play and high levels of excitement, this form of cricket has quickly become the fan favourite.

The rise of T20 has not only seen more fans tuning into these types of matches, but it has also caused a gradual decline in the number of cricket enthusiasts who watch the traditional forms of the sport: test matches and ODIs (one-day internationals).

There are many good reasons for this, the most significant of which we’ll examine below.

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Rise of T20

To understand how and why T20 is killing older forms of cricket, it is crucial to understand how T20 has grown to be so popular so quickly. After all, this format of cricket is still relatively young compared to traditional forms of the game.

Introduced in 2003, T20 hails from England. It was specifically designed to attract more fans to the sport and reignite the passion that this fan base had after the viewership of traditional games started waning.

Originally devised as an inter-county form of cricket, the appeal of the short format game, in which each team played just 20 overs, quickly spread. By 2004, the International Cricket Council (ICC) officially recognised the format when the first game between competing countries took place.

The format continued to grow in popularity, swiftly spreading to countries worldwide and creating a new sense of excitement around cricket. Although old-school fans of the game were opposed to the new format at first, by 2007, T20 had garnered enough of a fan base and was played in enough countries to justify holding a global tournament—the inaugural T20 World Cup.

Since then, T20 has continued to grow, even being adopted by the IPL (Indian Premier League). The IPL’s adoption of the format accelerated the growth of T20 even more, with the IPL attracting more than 620 million viewers in 2024.

Reasons T20 Is Attractive

The following are the most significant reasons why T20 has become so popular and spread so quickly.

Duration

The primary reason T20 has attracted so many viewers is its shortened duration. With each team only playing 20 overs, a match is usually over in around three hours—a significantly shorter time than ODIs or test matches, which can literally last days.

This shorter time allows fans with tight schedules to slot viewing time into their day and makes watching matches much more accessible.

Action

Driven mostly by the shorter duration and, therefore, less time to win the match in, T20 cricket offers higher levels of action than other formats. The condensed format requires players to be more aggressive in their gameplay to either reach higher run rates or more outs in a shorter period.

As such, T20 matches often feature more spectacular wickets, a significantly higher number of boundary shots, and more intense batting. This also translates to higher scoring rates, which gives fans a more adrenaline-fueled game to enjoy.

Finances

Although not directly affecting the game’s viewership, T20 is known for offering greater incentives and pay to athletes. This has attracted many players away from traditional forms, which tend to provide less.

One way this affects fans is that their favourite players might make the switch to T20 for the financial rewards. When this occurs, fans commonly watch matches featuring their preferred sportsmen, thereby increasing the viewership of T20 at the same time.

Entertainment

T20 not only undoes the stereotype of drawn-out cricket matches, but it also increases their entertainment value. Many T20 matches feature cheerleaders (something not common in traditional cricket), which began during the T20 World Cup in 2007.

Many T20 teams are also endorsed and sometimes owned by celebrities. This affiliation attracts people to the sport who might otherwise have little interest in it.

How T20 Is Killing Older Forms of Cricket

With T20 matches attracting players and fans alike, the slow death of ODI and test matches seems almost inevitable. However, this death is systematic and can be seen in distinct ways.

Viewership and Attendance

The most apparent way T20 affects traditional forms of cricket is seen through the viewership numbers of each game format. While almost every T20 match attracts sold-out stadiums and massive fans watching on TV or online, the same cannot be said for traditional forms of cricket, which are experiencing declining viewership.

Like viewership, attendance at traditional cricket matches has also seen a decline in recent years, with more people opting to purchase tickets to a T20 match.

Scheduling

A less obvious cause of death among traditional cricket forms is match scheduling. With an influx of T20 matches planned year-round, scheduling conflicts are becoming a common part of the game.

In many cases, these are caused by multiple players representing their home nation in traditional cricket while participating in T20 matches or leagues simultaneously. Because players are unable to compete in both, many opt to play T20 games instead due to the increased financial rewards they offer.

Technical Skills

The final way T20 is slowly decaying traditional cricket is by abandoning technical skills. While these are essential to ODI and test match cricket, perfected technical skills aren’t necessarily required for T20 matches.

Because of the higher-paced action of T20, players need to develop a new skill set that relies less on technical skills and more on aggression. Many players train in this manner to compete in T20 matches, but they lack the technical skills required to succeed in traditional games.

Conclusion

There is no argument that T20 has completely changed the cricketing landscape since its arrival in 2003. Whether this has been a positive or negative change can (and is) argued by some, particularly fans who enjoy more traditional cricket.

However, there is no denying that T20 has brought a new generation of fans to the sport. These fans actively engage with games and share their excitement. Many who review the top casino sites on casinos.com have also seen fans worldwide enjoy betting on matches.

Although fresh passion and excitement has been inject into an age-old sport, whether T20 will entirely overcome traditional forms remains to be seen. Until then, there is nothing to do but enjoy the action and the love of the sport in whatever style you prefer.