T20 was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board or the ECB in 2003. It was heavily marketed with the slogan "I don't like cricket, I love it", which was taken from the song Dreadlock Holiday by the English band 10cc. The format for Twenty20 cricket is very much the same as what we know as one day internationals. Both have two teams and a single innings, but the difference here is that each team will only bat for a maximum of 20 overs instead of 50.
With all the necessary cricket accessories and cricket supplies, a Twenty20 cricket game is played within around 3 hours and 30 minutes, and each innings lasts about 75 minutes. This brings the time of the game played right down compared to the average Test cricket match which will last 5 days.
In 2002 when the Benson and Hedges Cup had ended, the England and Wales Cricket Board needed another 1 day game to fill its place. Sponsorships were being reduced and crowds were definitely getting smaller and cricket's popularity needed some boosting. So, a fast paced game that was to be very exciting and easily accessible to thousands upon thousands of fans worldwide who were being put off watching the longer games came to life.
The first Twenty20 game that was played at Lords on the 15th July, 2004 was between Middlesex and Surrey and drew a crowd of 26,500 people. This was the largest county cricket attendance since a one day final in 1953. Furthermore, Australia's first Twenty20 was a sell out with a crowd of 20,700.
At The Gabba in Brisbane on the 5th January 2007 New South Wales Blues played the Queensland Bulls. An expected crowd of 11,000 on pre-match ticket sales caused a major disruption and a lot of fans were granted free entry when 27,653 excited people turned up to watch the game.
Like the case with one day cricket, the true popularity of T20 has been noted in the sub continent i.e. India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan, all of which are nations where cricket has a cult-like status. This was evident in the two finalists of the first T20 cricket world cup held in South Africa in 2007. The tournament's finalists were Pakistan and India, with India winning the nail biting match with 5 runs.
As mentioned above, the difference between the T20 format and the one day internationals is virtually nothing with respect to the required equipment. Players in both formats use critical cricket accessories such as pads, L guards, elbow shields, and helmets over and above the basic cricket supplies like bat and ball.
There is a great range of cricket equipment to improve your T20 game, including cricket supplies and cricket accessories at cricketpavillion.co.uk.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Romeanes
