By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: A new cricket format blending elements of traditional Test matches and fast-paced Twenty20 games was unveiled Thursday amid concerns over the future of the red-ball version of the sport.
Dubbed “Test Twenty”, the concept was launched by Indian sports entrepreneur Gaurav Bahirvani, executive chairman of the One One Six Network, and has drawn support from former players including South Africa’s AB de Villiers, West Indies’ Clive Lloyd, Australia’s Matthew Hayden and India’s Harbhajan Singh.
According to a statement, “the Test Twenty fuses the strategic depth of Test cricket with the speed and spectacle of T20″. The format will be played over 80 overs, featuring two innings of 20 overs per side, with scores carried forward across innings. Each team bats twice, just like in a Test match, while the rules of both Test and T20 cricket will apply, with a few refined adjustments to suit the new format. “Matches can conclude in a win, loss, tie, or draw, ensuring that every contest retains the full spectrum of cricket’s drama and unpredictability,” the statement further read.
Coined the “Fourth Format” by its creators, it will first be tested at the youth level, “opening the doors of opportunity to young cricketers aged 13 to 19 from every corner of the world”. Organisers said players will be assessed on skill, data, and merit through a multi-tiered, analytics-based selection process, leading to an elite auction pool for franchise selection.
The first full season of Test Twenty debuts in January 2026, featuring six high-profile global franchises — three international (Dubai, London, and a US city) and three Indian (franchise-choice cities).Each franchise will be backed by a next-generation celebrity stakeholder (“star-kid”) and fuelled by talent discovered through the annual Junior Test Twenty Championship.
The top 300 players emerging from this stage will advance to the Global Auction Pool, where franchises will draw talent for the inaugural season. “I genuinely believe this fourth format can add a new dimension to our game,” de Villiers said in a statement. “Many of us have enjoyed the T20 format over the years, but we still hold particular affection for Test cricket — and we want it to be played and enjoyed forever.”
However, there have been growing concerns over the fate of Test cricket over the last few years, with lower-ranked sides struggling to play the format on a regular basis, in stark contrast to India, England and Australia, who play five-Test series against each other every two years, along with their fixtures with other sides. The two-tier system is yet to be discussed on an official level.
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