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Twenty20 International

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Twenty20 International
Image
A Twenty20 match at the Oval in south London
Highest governing bodyInternational Cricket Council
NicknamesT20I
First played17 February 2005
Characteristics
Team membersICC members
Mixed-sexNo
Typeoutdoor
Equipmentball, bat, stumps, glove, pad, helmet

Twenty20 International (T20I) is a form of Twenty20 cricket, in which each team plays a single innings with a maximum of twenty overs. The matches are played between international teams recognized by the International Cricket Council (ICC). In the T20I format, each bowler is restricted to a maximum of four overs. A mandatory powerplay is taken during the first six overs of an innings.

The first T20I match took place on 17 February 2005 between Australia and New Zealand, with the first ICC T20 World Cup held in 2007. The matches were initially held between the full members of the ICC and selected associate member teams. In April 2018, the ICC announced that it would grant T20I status to matches played amongst any of all its 105 members from 1 January 2019. As of March 2025, 100 nations feature in ICC T20I team rankings.[1] The number of matches of the format increased in the 2010s and more T20I matches (100) were played than ODI matches (99) for the first time in 2016.[2]

As of March 2026, India has the most wins (187) while Pakistan has played the most matches (299). Babar Azam holds the record for the most runs and Rashid Khan of Afghanistan holds the record for the most career wickets (193). The highest individual score is 172, made by Australia's Aaron Finch against Zimbabwe in 2018, while Malaysia's Syazrul Idrus recorded the best bowling figures of 7/8 against China in July 2023.

Origins

[edit]

Cricket itself was probably first played in England in the Late Middle Ages, but it did not rise to prominence until the eighteenth century. A set of laws were drawn up in 1744, and the game achieved a level of relative standardisation by the late nineteenth century.[3] One-day cricket was trialled in 1962, the first domestic tournament played in 1963,[4] and in 1971, England and Australia contested the first One Day International. The match consisted of one innings for each side, with 40 eight-ball overs. Various lengths of overs & number of balls were played until the 1990s when 50 overs each comprising 6 deliveries was standardised worldwide.[5]

In the 1990s, a number of countries explored the possibility of a shorter game still: in New Zealand, Martin Crowe developed Cricket Max, in which each team bats for 10 eight-ball overs,[6] while in Australia an eight-a-side contest dubbed "Super 8s" was considered. At the same time, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) conducted consumer research, and proposed the idea of a 20 overs-per-side contest, which would last for about three hours.[7] The first match was played in 2003 between Hampshire and Sussex.[8]

History

[edit]

The first Twenty20 International match between two men's sides was played on 17 February 2005, involving Australia and New Zealand. Wisden Cricketers' Almanack reported that "neither side took the game especially seriously",[9] and it was noted by ESPNcricinfo that but for a large score for Ricky Ponting, "the concept would have shuddered".[10] However, Ponting himself said "if it does become an international game then I'm sure the novelty won't be there all the time".[11]

Two further matches were played in 2005; England beat Australia in June, and South Africa were defeated by New Zealand in October.[12] Early in 2006, a contest between New Zealand and the West Indies finished as the first tied match, and a tiebreak was played for the first time in men's international cricket: the two sides took part in a bowl-out to determine a winner; New Zealand won 3–0.[13]

Initially, the game was developed to boost the interest in domestic cricket, and to aid this the international teams were only allowed to host three T20Is each year. The cricket manager for the ICC, David Richardson, also commented that "Part of the success of Twenty20 cricket is making sure it can coexist with Test cricket and one-dayers."[14] Despite this, the first international tournament was held in 2007 in South Africa; the 2007 ICC World Twenty20.[14] That tournament was won by India, who defeated their close rivals Pakistan in the final. Writing for The Guardian, Dilip Premachandran suggested that the competition's success meant that "the format is here to stay".[15] The next tournament was scheduled for 2009, and it was decided that they would take place biannually (more frequently than the 50 over Cricket World Cup, which occurs once every four years).[16] In the opening match of the 2007 World Twenty20, Chris Gayle scored the first century in a T20I, the achievement being reached in the twentieth match of the format.[17]

The 500th T20I match was contested between Ireland and the United Arab Emirates at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi on 16 February 2016.[18] ICC decided to use the Decision Review System (DRS) in Twenty20 Internationals from the end of September 2017,[19][20] with its first use in the India-Australia T20I series in October 2017.[21]

International rankings

[edit]
Image
Current ICC members by membership status:
  Full members (12)
  Associate members with ODI status (8)
  Associate members (85)
  Former members (4)
  Non-members

ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings
TeamMatchesPointsRating
Image England4111,021269
Image India7118,987267
Image Australia389,868260
Image New Zealand5012,348247
Image South Africa5312,881243
Image Pakistan6214,883241
Image West Indies6014,155236
Image Bangladesh5512,220222
Image Sri Lanka5211,489221
Image Afghanistan418,925218
Image Ireland295,942205
Image Zimbabwe5911,911202
Image United States203,650183
Image   Nepal447,968181
Image Netherlands244,311180
Image Namibia417,358179
Image Scotland234,116179
Image United Arab Emirates579,961175
Image Oman446,698152
Image Canada263,864149
Image Uganda496,973142
Image Papua New Guinea202,743137
Image Italy151,988133
Image Hong Kong557,154130
Image Malaysia597,409126
Image Kuwait354,360125
Image Spain161,961123
Image Qatar414,925120
Image Jersey212,484118
Image Bahrain718,393118
Image Saudi Arabia313,551115
Image Bermuda242,713113
Image Kenya505,434109
Image Tanzania302,96799
Image Portugal282,52590
Image Guernsey242,02885
Image Denmark201,68284
Image Germany302,48883
Image Cayman Islands282,29582
Image Nigeria493,84178
Image Japan402,93173
Image Singapore362,55571
Image Austria664,29365
Image Sweden362,15160
Image Belgium331,92358
Image Finland291,62356
Image Norway362,00656
Image Argentina1472854
Image France351,75350
Image Romania432,13450
Image  Switzerland261,26048
Image Cook Islands1464946
Image Rwanda723,26445
Image Botswana401,77844
Image Samoa2193344
Image Malawi411,80744
Image Isle of Man1251143
Image Philippines291,19141
Image Thailand411,63540
Image Cambodia291,43538
Image Bahamas2076238
Image Cyprus2689234
Image Czech Republic2171634
Image Malta391,32634
Image Indonesia872,94334
Image Zambia1860734
Image Vanuatu1549133
Image Eswatini2271332
Image South Korea2163630
Image Ghana1957130
Image Hungary351,01429
Image Panama1537125
Image Estonia2151324
Image Cameroon1021321
Image Bhutan3264220
Image Belize713920
Image Mexico2544518
Image Luxembourg2441017
Image Brazil2135317
Image Gibraltar2541216
Image Mozambique1925513
Image Israel1216013
Image Sierra Leone3845212
Image Maldives1716710
Image Lesotho181498
Image Suriname10828
Image Bulgaria252028
Image Croatia241697
Image Seychelles7467
Image Serbia271124
Image Turkey17634
Image Fiji9192
Image Myanmar29502
Image Timor-Leste800
Image Ivory Coast900
Image Mongolia1200
Image Saint Helena700
Image Slovenia1700
Image Mali1000
Image Greece600
Image Costa Rica1200
Image China1300
Source: ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings, 21 October 2026
See points calculations for more details.

Teams with T20I status

[edit]

Permanent T20I status

[edit]

Prior to 2019, permanent T20I status was limited to the Test-playing nations (the full members of the ICC), which included 12 teams after the promotion of Afghanistan and Ireland to full member status in 2017. In April 2018, the ICC announced that it would grant T20I status to all of its members from 1 January 2019.[22][23][24] Nations that have played T20I cricket are listed below, with the date of their first T20I after gaining permanent T20I status shown in brackets (teams in italics had previously played T20Is with temporary status):

  1. Image Australia (17 February 2005)
  2. Image New Zealand (17 February 2005)
  3. Image England (13 June 2005)
  4. Image South Africa (21 October 2005)
  5. Image West Indies (16 February 2006)
  6. Image Sri Lanka (15 June 2006)
  7. Image Pakistan (28 August 2006)
  8. Image Bangladesh (28 November 2006)
  9. Image Zimbabwe (28 November 2006)
  10. Image India (1 December 2006)
  11. Image Afghanistan (5 February 2018)
  12. Image Ireland (12 June 2018)
  13. Image Bahrain (20 January 2019)
  14. Image Kuwait (20 January 2019)
  15. Image Maldives (20 January 2019)
  16. Image Saudi Arabia (20 January 2019)
  17. Image Qatar (21 January 2019)
  18. Image   Nepal (31 January 2019)
  19. Image United Arab Emirates (31 January 2019)
  20. Image Netherlands (13 February 2019)
  21. Image Oman (13 February 2019)
  22. Image Scotland (13 February 2019)
  23. Image United States (15 March 2019)
  24. Image Papua New Guinea (22 March 2019)
  25. Image Philippines (22 March 2019)
  26. Image Vanuatu (22 March 2019)
  27. Image Malta (29 March 2019)
  28. Image Spain (29 March 2019)
  29. Image Belize (25 April 2019)
  30. Image Costa Rica (25 April 2019)
  31. Image Mexico (25 April 2019)
  32. Image Panama (25 April 2019)
  33. Image Belgium (11 May 2019)
  34. Image Germany (11 May 2019)
  35. Image Botswana (20 May 2019)
  36. Image Ghana (20 May 2019)
  37. Image Kenya (20 May 2019)
  38. Image Namibia (20 May 2019)
  39. Image Nigeria (20 May 2019)
  40. Image Uganda (20 May 2019)
  41. Image Italy (25 May 2019)
  42. Image Guernsey (31 May 2019)
  43. Image Jersey (31 May 2019)
  44. Image Norway (15 June 2019)
  45. Image Denmark (16 June 2019)
  46. Image Malaysia (24 June 2019)
  47. Image Thailand (24 June 2019)
  48. Image Samoa (8 July 2019)
  49. Image Finland (13 July 2019)
  50. Image Singapore (22 July 2019)
  51. Image Bermuda (18 August 2019)
  52. Image Canada (18 August 2019)
  53. Image Cayman Islands (18 August 2019)
  54. Image Austria (29 August 2019)
  55. Image Luxembourg (29 August 2019)
  56. Image Romania (29 August 2019)
  57. Image Turkey (29 August 2019)
  58. Image Czech Republic (30 August 2019)
  59. Image Argentina (3 October 2019)
  60. Image Brazil (3 October 2019)
  61. Image Chile (3 October 2019)
  62. Image Peru (3 October 2019)
  63. Image Hong Kong (5 October 2019)
  64. Image Bulgaria (14 October 2019)
  65. Image Serbia (14 October 2019)
  66. Image Greece (15 October 2019)
  67. Image Portugal (25 October 2019)
  68. Image Gibraltar (26 October 2019)
  69. Image Malawi (6 November 2019)
  70. Image Mozambique (6 November 2019)
  71. Image Bhutan (5 December 2019)
  72. Image Iran (23 February 2020)
  73. Image Isle of Man (21 August 2020)
  74. Image France (5 August 2021)
  75. Image Sweden (14 August 2021)
  76. Image Rwanda (18 August 2021)
  77. Image Hungary (2 September 2021)
  78. Image Cyprus (5 October 2021)
  79. Image Estonia (5 October 2021)
  80. Image Eswatini (16 October 2021)
  81. Image Lesotho (16 October 2021)
  82. Image Seychelles (16 October 2021)
  83. Image Sierra Leone (19 October 2021)
  84. Image  Switzerland (22 October 2021)
  85. Image Tanzania (2 November 2021)
  86. Image Cameroon (3 November 2021)
  87. Image Bahamas (7 November 2021)
  88. Image Israel (28 June 2022)
  89. Image Croatia (13 July 2022)
  90. Image Slovenia (25 July 2022)
  91. Image Cook Islands (9 September 2022)
  92. Image Fiji (9 September 2022)
  93. Image Indonesia (9 October 2022)
  94. Image Japan (9 October 2022)
  95. Image South Korea (15 October 2022)
  96. Image Mali (17 November 2022)
  97. Image Saint Helena (17 November 2022)
  98. Image Gambia (1 December 2022)
  99. Image Cambodia (4 May 2023)
  100. Image China (26 July 2023)
  101. Image Myanmar (26 July 2023)
  102. Image Mongolia (27 September 2023)
  103. Image Ivory Coast (23 November 2024)
  104. Image Suriname (6 December 2024)
  105. Image Falkland Islands (10 March 2025)
  106. Image Turks and Caicos Islands (17 April 2025)
  107. Image Timor-Leste (6 November 2025)
  108. Image Zambia (4 December 2025)
  109. Image Uzbekistan (22 June 2026)

Temporary T20I status

[edit]

Between 2005 and 2018, the ICC granted temporary ODI and T20I status to a selection of other teams (known as Associate members). Teams earned this temporary status for a period of four years based on their performance in the quadrennial ICC World Cricket League – or, more specifically, based on the top six finishing positions at the ICC World Cup Qualifier, which is the final event of the World Cricket League.[25] Teams could also earn this status by qualifying for the ICC T20 World Cup.

Twelve nations held this temporary T20I status before gaining permanent T20I status or losing status after underperforming at the World Cup Qualifier or World Twenty20 Qualifier (dates shown are for the first and last matches played while holding temporary T20I status, not when this status was gained, lost or changed to permanent):

The ICC has also given special T20I status to the ICC World XI team for:

Cricket at international multi-sport events

[edit]

Cricket was played as part of the 1900 Summer Olympics, when England and France contested a two-day match.[28] In 1998, cricket was played as part of the Commonwealth Games, on this occasion in the 50-over format. There was some talk about Twenty20 cricket being part of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, which were held in Delhi, but at the time the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), were not in favour of the short format of the game, and it was not included.[29]

Cricket was played in 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China[30] and 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.[31] India skipped both times.[32] There was further calls for subsequent Commonwealth Games and Olympic Games. The Commonwealth Games Federation asked the ICC to participate in the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games, but the ICC turned down the invitation.[33] In 2010, the International Olympic Committee recognised the International Cricket Council as a governing body that complied to the requirements of the Olympic charter which in turn meant that cricket could apply to be included in the Olympic Games,[34] but in 2013 the ICC announced that it had no intentions to make such an application, primarily due to opposition from the BCCI. ESPNcricinfo suggested that the opposition might be based on the possible loss of income.[citation needed] In April 2016, ICC chief executive David Richardson said that Twenty20 cricket can have a chance of getting in for the 2024 Summer Games, but there must be collective support shown by the ICC's membership base, in particular from BCCI, in order for there to be a chance of inclusion.[35]

Statistics

[edit]

Rohit Sharma and Glenn Maxwell are the only players to score 5 T20I tons.

The highest team total in a T20I was made by Zimbabwe versus Gambia when they scored 344/4.[36] The lowest total was recorded in 2024, when Nigeria bowled out Ivory Coast for just 7 runs.[37] The highest successful chase was made in March 2023, when South Africa scored 259 runs to overhaul West Indies's target and win the match.[38]

As of November 2025, Babar Azam has scored the most runs in the format.[39] Aaron Finch has made the highest individual score in T20Is, with his innings of 172 against Zimbabwe in 2018.[40] Afghanistan bowler Rashid Khan holds the records for the most wickets taken in the format.[41]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Men's T20I Team Rankings". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  2. ↑ "More results, more Rohit Sharma 2452 runs, and more T20Is than ODIs". ESPNcricinfo. 3 January 2017.
  3. ↑ Birley, Derek (2003) [1999]. A Social History of English Cricket. Aurum Press. pp. 3–107. ISBN 1-85410-941-3.
  4. ↑ Williamson, Martin (9 April 2011). "The low-key birth of one-day cricket". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  5. ↑ Williamson, Martin (22 June 2010). "The birth of the one-day international". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  6. ↑ "Cricket Max – The Game Invented By Martin Crowe". ESPNcricinfo. 2 February 1996. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  7. ↑ "History of Twenty20 cricket". England and Wales Cricket Board. Archived from the original on 3 February 2015. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  8. ↑ [dead link]
  9. ↑ Ramsay, Andrew (2006). "New Zealand v Australia". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  10. ↑ English, Peter (18 February 2005). "Saved by Private Ricky". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  11. ↑ "South Africa's Superman". ESPNcricinfo. 17 May 2006. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  12. ↑ "Records / 2005 / Twenty20 Internationals / Match results". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  13. ↑ "WI beat NZ in historical tiebreaker". International Cricket Council. 26 December 2008. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  14. 1 2 "Is twenty plenty?". ESPNcricinfo. 24 March 2007. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
  15. ↑ Premachandran, Dileep (26 September 2007). "Great win, but easy on the chest-thumping". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  16. ↑ "Global Tournaments". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  17. ↑ Gopalakrishna, HR; Vaghese, Mathew (11 September 2007). "Gayle and Gibbs run riot". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  18. ↑ "(500) games of T20I cricket". cricket.com.au. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  19. ↑ "Uniform DRS likely from October". ESPNcricinfo. 6 February 2017.
  20. ↑ "ICC takes a huge decision which may slow down T20s". DNA India. 4 February 2017.
  21. ↑ "Australia denied advantage of new rules". ESPNcricinfo. 8 October 2017.
  22. ↑ "All T20 matches between ICC members to get international status". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  23. ↑ "T20s between all ICC members to have international status". ESPNcricinfo. 26 April 2018.
  24. ↑ "T20s between all ICC members to have international status". ESPNcricinfo. 27 April 2018. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  25. ↑ "Nepal, Netherlands get T20 international status". ESPNcricinfo. 28 June 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  26. ↑ "ICC confirms plans for World XI tour to Pakistan for three-game T20 series in September". Firstpost. 24 June 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  27. ↑ "West Indies, Rest of the World XI to play fundraising T20I". ESPNcricinfo. 14 February 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  28. ↑ Buchanan, Ian (1993). Mallon, Bill (ed.). "Cricket at the 1900 Games" (PDF). Journal of Olympic History. 1 (2). International Society of Olympic Historians: 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 September 2008.
  29. ↑ "Cricket unlikely at 2010 Games". ESPNcricinfo. 23 January 2006. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  30. ↑ "Asian Games Men's Cricket Competition". ESPNcricinfo.
  31. ↑ "Asian Games Men's Cricket Competition". ESPNcricinfo.
  32. ↑ "India to skip Asian Games again". ESPNcricinfo. 1 August 2014.
  33. ↑ "ICC rejects 2018 offer, cricket stays out of Commonwealth Games". Reuters. 24 July 2014. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  34. ↑ "Cricket gets Olympic approval". ESPNcricinfo. 12 February 2010. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  35. ↑ "ICC's Richardson wants more teams in World T20". ESPNcricinfo. 3 April 2016.
  36. ↑ "Records / Twenty20 Internationals / Team records / Highest innings totals". Espncricinfo.com.
  37. ↑ "Records / Twenty20 Internationals / Team records / Lowest innings totals". Espncricinfo.com. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  38. ↑ "Statistics / Statsguru / Twenty20 Internationals / Team records". Espncricinfo.com. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  39. ↑ "Records / Twenty20 Internationals / Batting records / Most runs in career". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  40. ↑ "Records / Twenty20 Internationals / Batting records / Most runs in an innings". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  41. ↑ "Records / Twenty20 Internatioոals / Bowling records / Most wickets in career". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
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