Twenty20 is cricket’s streamlined format. It’s built for speed, entertainment and new fans

The first professional franchise cricket league in the United States launched this month. Curious Americans, don’t worry. The games won’t take days. There won’t be hours-long periods of play when nothing seems to happen. And no extended breaks when the teams disappear for “lunch” or “tea.” Instead, expect an action-packed type of cricket, with batters going for big hits from the outset and fielders throwing themselves around in an attempt to make catches or stop runs.

Major League Cricket in the U.S. is using the Twenty20 format, also known in the business as T20, one of the game’s shortest, quickest and newest versions. Think of it as cricket 2.0. While cricket still has its traditional test matches, which last up to five days and have no other restrictions on how long an innings can take, T20 is a limited-overs game and gives each team a set number of balls to get as many runs as it can. The upshot is a far more exciting chase to get quick runs before your 20 overs are up. Those 20 overs translate as 120 balls, or deliveries, to hit. Each team gets one inning of 20 overs, hence the name Twenty20. Major League Cricket is launching partly because the T20 World Cup featuring the world’s best international teams is set be co-hosted by the U.S. next year.

WHEN DID TWENTY20 CRICKET START?

T20 was first played at franchise level in England in 2003. That makes it a baby in terms of cricket, which has been played in one form or another for at least 400 years. Within four years, T20 had its own World Cup and it has spawned franchise leagues in all the major cricketing countries, as well as some not so familiar with the game. There are lucrative T20 leagues in India, Pakistan, England, Australia and South Africa, of course, but also in newer cricketing territories such as the Middle East, Canada and the Netherlands. Major League Cricket is the newest T20 league in the world and Americans the latest audience to get a taste.

SPEED AND ENTERTAINMENT

The two important factors with the T20 format: It hurries the game up, meaning, generally, much more excitement. The game is also shortened time-wise and takes around three hours to complete, making it comparable to a baseball game and therefore easier to consume for young fans or those new to the sport. You can watch a T20 game on a Friday night instead of having to give up your entire day for a one-day international or week to keep track of a test match like the Ashes.

While the format leads to fast and furious action on the field, T20 has also sparked an evolution in off-field entertainment in cricket. Cheerleaders dancing on podiums, DJs sitting behind decks spinning tunes and fancy dress themes are all part of the T20 game, bringing a colorful new twist for supporters at the stadium and viewers on TV or online. Competitions for fans at the game are also common to create a party atmosphere, like offering money for anyone who can make a one-handed catch when the ball sails into the crowd. Unlike baseball, though, the ball must be returned to the field.

RULES

Cricket’s normal rules still apply in T20 games, meaning there might still be a steep learning curve for new fans unfamiliar with the leg before wicket law. At least there will be no ties. Test cricket has two ways for a game to have no winner, even if it’s been going on for five days. But in T20, if the teams get exactly the same number of runs — 150 runs is an average score and more than 200 a really good score — then there is a “Super Over” to decide the game. That means each team faces one over of six balls to smash as many runs as it can and whoever wins that tie-breaker wins the game.

MAJOR LEAGUE CRICKET

Major League Cricket is up and running, having started last week. The tournament is being played at two venues, a former baseball park in Grand Prairie, Texas, and a cricket ground in Morrisville, North Carolina. There are six teams in the league, which has been in the pipeline since about 2018.

They are: MI New York, Los Angeles Knight Riders, San Francisco Unicorns, Seattle Orcas, Texas Super Kings and the Washington Freedom.

Like most T20 competitions, Major League Cricket has also attracted international stars. Los Angeles has South African Rilee Rossouw and San Francisco has Australian Aaron Finch. They are both in the top 10 batters in the world in T20 internationals. Rashid Khan of Afghanistan, the top-ranked T20 bowler, is on New York’s roster as is Kagiso Rabada, one of the best fast bowlers in world cricket.