Cricket is set to open a new chapter with an innovative mixed-gender tournament in which boys and girls will compete together as members of the same team. The special tournament, called ‘Test Twenty’, is scheduled to take place from November 14 to 29 at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The matches will be played in a unique 80-over format.
As for the tournament, 160 young cricketers from around the world, aged between 13 and 21, will participate. They will be divided into teams representing four continents. Each team will consist of 40 players, including 20 girls and 20 boys. One of the tournament’s distinctive features is that the runs scored by both girls and boys will be combined to determine the team’s total score.
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Each match will be completed in a single day. Every team will bat twice, with each innings consisting of a 40-over session. The first session will be played during the day in traditional white clothing with a red ball. The second session will take place under floodlights, with players wearing coloured clothing and using a white ball. The score achieved in the first session will carry over into the second session.
The most intriguing aspect of the tournament is the ‘Parity Rule’. Under this rule, the scores made by girls and boys will influence each other’s results. If the girls’ score determines the boys’ outcome under floodlights, the boys’ score will, in turn, influence the girls’ result. This arrangement may also vary depending on the toss.
Speaking about the tournament, Gaurav Bahirwani, the founder of Test Twenty and the creator of the Parity Rule, said that equality would be prioritised not only on the field but also in the tournament’s broadcast coverage. He stated that girls and boys would receive equal coverage during broadcasts.
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The tournament’s advisory board includes renowned former international cricketers AB de Villiers, Matthew Hayden and Sir Clive Lloyd. Rajkumar Sharma, a prominent Delhi-based coach, will chair the Global Selection Committee, while Mike Fordham will oversee the tournament’s operations.
Overall, this innovative format is expected to introduce a new experiment to the world of cricket by providing equal representation to girls and boys and linking their scores through a unique scoring system. By bringing young female and male cricketers together on a single competitive platform, the tournament aims to pave the way for a new format in the sport.
