The new Test Twenty format to bring men and women together on the pitch

Test Twenty is expected to bring about an entirely new era for the sport of cricket, where boys and girls would play side by side on a common team setup. The first-ever game will be organised at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC), Colombo, Sri Lanka, from November 14 to 29, 2026. The first Test Twenty match will have a total of 160 players who are aged between 13 and 21 years and hail from different parts of the world.

Test Twenty will feature four continental teams and a new playing format

The Test Twenty will comprise four teams from different continents, where each team will have 40 players, made up of 20 boys and 20 girls. This means that there will be 80 boys and 80 girls participating. Unlike conventional cricket competitions, the performances of the boys' and girls' XIs will contribute to a combined score that determines the team's result.

The tournament will have an 80-over format, which will be divided into two 40-over formats that will take place on the same day. In the first session, a red ball will be used, and the players will play in white kits during the daytime. The second session will switch to a white ball, with players wearing coloured kits under floodlights. Scores from both sessions will be combined to determine the winner.

The advisory board for the tournament features ex-cricketers such as AB de Villiers, Matthew Hayden, and Sir Clive Lloyd. The Global Selection Committee will be led by Rajkumar Sharma, while Mike Fordham will manage the tournament.

The Test Twenty intend to bring the contributions from both groups into focus to ensure the success of the teams. Organisers have also outlined plans to ensure equal representation for boys and girls in broadcast coverage. Test Twenty is emerging as a proposed new form of cricket that amalgamates the style of play from both red-ball and white-ball cricket.

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