Can T20 take cricket beyond its traditional strongholds?

For almost the entirety of its history, cricket's reach has been limited to a handful of countries. Yet multiple studies have found cricket to be the world's second-most popular spectator sport, with football being the undisputed first. 

The sport's immense popularity in South Asia, home to a fourth of the world's population, is a major reason why cricket has not just survived but thrived in recent decades despite its limited geographical reach. 

Cricket's spread across different countries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was a byproduct of British colonialism. Over time, many former British colonies embraced the sport, and quite a few even became better at it than the English.

With the advent of limited-overs cricket in the 1970s, the commercial appeal of the sport increased. Since the International Cricket Council (ICC) organized the inaugural World Cup in 1975, the sport has come a long way. At the time, the One Day International (ODI) format represented the only version of limited-overs cricket.

The introduction of the Twenty20 (T20) format, which sees each side bowl 20 overs in a match compared to the 50 overs each in the present iteration of ODIs, followed by the subsequent popularity of T20 leagues across the world, has added a new dimension to the sport and its prospects of further growth across the world.

As the West Indies, representing the cricket-playing Caribbean nations, and the U.S. prepare to host the ninth edition of the men's T20 World Cup from June 1 to 29, cricket could be on the verge of a major takeoff as newer fans and countries embrace the sport thanks to the popularity of its shortest format. 

First-class cricket, the sport's oldest format, which lasts for three or more days, is considered the backbone of the sport, helping produce the world's best cricketers.

Test cricket – the first-class version involving international teams – is today, however, struggling for viewership. The ICC has 108 members, and only 12 are full-time members eligible to play in its most elite Test format. The remaining 96 are associate members.

For the most ardent cricket followers, Test cricket represents the sport's pinnacle and is its purest form. However, held over five days with around six to seven hours of play every day, the length of the Test format doesn't help attract new fans from outside cricket's traditional strongholds. 

That is where T20 cricket has filled a much-needed gap, taking the sport to previously uncharted territories. The upcoming edition of the T20 World Cup will see an expanded format of 20 teams taking part, making it the biggest ever major international tournament being held by the ICC. 

The recent rise of Afghanistan, the maiden World Cup qualification across any format by Uganda, the advent of new T20 leagues in countries like the U.S. and the inclusion of the sport's T20 format at the Summer Olympic Games, starting with the 2028 edition, are signs that the sport is spreading to newer shores.

The commercial success of T20 cricket that is helping drive the sport's latest expansion is a very recent phenomenon. In 2008, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the sport's governing body in the country, started the Indian Premier League (IPL). 

The league proved to be an immediate hit among fans. According to a report by Brand Finance, the league's valuation rose to $10.7 billion in 2023. The IPL runs for a duration of less than two months, with the recently concluded edition featuring only 74 matches. 

Despite the relatively short duration, it sold its broadcast rights for $6.2 billion in 2022 for the 2023-27 cycle. The IPL's success has made the BCCI the world's richest governing body in cricket. 

The Pakistan Super League, Australia's Big Bash League, the Bangladesh Premier League, the Caribbean Premier League and many other T20 cricket leagues that have sprung up over the years have also enjoyed significant commercial success, helping attract new fans from around the world.

The success of T20 leagues has often been accompanied by fears that these leagues may undermine or even upend the international cricket calendar in the long run. However, they also underscore the popularity of the format and provide the sport with a strong commercial base.

"If cricket is to expand, T20 is the way forward. It's quick, it's catchy, and most importantly, it does not always require the slow-churning skills that may be required in the traditional Test and ODI formats. Also, T20 is more commercially viable than longer formats," said Indian sports journalist Abhishek Paul, news editor at the New Delhi-based NDTV.com.

Cricket has expanded so little in the last few decades that the gulf in skill level between the traditional powerhouses and new entrants to the sport is "much more pronounced than in any other sport," according to Paul.

The shorter length of the T20 format provides a more level-playing field, he noted, saying it allows relatively weaker sides a greater chance of causing an upset.

Mir Shabbar Ali, a sports reporter at Pakistani daily Dawn, said that while the T20 format doesn't necessarily require the skill and capacity built through years of first-class cricket, it offers entertainment. 

"I strongly believe T20 cricket can be used as a tool to genuinely globalize the sport. Although the format, due to franchise leagues, continues to pose a challenge to traditional Test cricket and ODI cricket, it should be utilized when it comes to including associate nations in mainstream international cricket," he said.

Ali said the ICC can encourage some of its full-time members to engage more with associate member teams in the format. "More involvement of associate nations in international T20 cricket can generate funds that they can invest in their grassroots structures," he said.

Logistics and finance are another reason why T20 cricket might have an edge over the ODI and Test formats, Paul said. Hosting Test/ODI matches requires significant investment from the organizers, he pointed out. 

"On the other hand, the gate money and sponsorships that can be raised in a T20 match are much more than ODIs and Tests," Paul said.

The T20 format's huge appeal has made the T20 World Cup ever more important in the sport's quest to traverse new territories. The upcoming edition will see 20 teams divided into four groups of five teams each. 

The top two teams from each group will progress to the "Super 8s" stage, which will see four teams each in two groups. It will be followed by the semifinals and the final.

England are the defending champions, while ODI and Test world champions Australia are among the favorites. Asked for his prediction on the four semifinalists, Ali picked the West Indies, England, Australia and India. 

Paul also went for the same four teams, although he added that Afghanistan, who caused a string of upsets in the ODI World Cup in India last year, will be dark horses in the tournament.

2024 ICC T20 Men's World Cup:

Group A: Pakistan, India, Canada, Ireland, United States

Group B: England, Australia, Namibia, Scotland, Oman

Group C: New Zealand, West Indies, Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea, Uganda

Group D: South Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Netherlands