New cricket format to have last man batting, 20 players on each side

After the success of The Hundred, the International Cricket Innovators have floated a new format of the sport called 20.  

That is not to be mistaken for Twenty20 which, let's face it, has bored everyone by now. As many as 120 balls per innings was a lot to sit through, so the ICI first came up with The Hundred, which was 100 balls per innings matches.

But even that was thought to be too many, and it was the same old thing – the bowler bowled a ball and the batsman tried to hit it out of the ground.

That is when ICI came up with 20. It is simple; there are not the plethora of rules that make cricket such a crashing bore.

In the new format, there will be 20 players on each side, but only 11 will take the field when a side is bowling. The nine others will be back-up players who will have to run interference on the captain or coach's instructions.

Interference includes bullying the umpire to give a decision in their favour, but that is not the long and short of it. The nine extra players can rush onto the field to engage in physical skirmishes with the opposition if they are found to be verbally abusing one of the batsmen.

"We think it's a matter of popularity and attracting eyeballs," said an ICI official, wishing not to be named. "In football, part of the attraction is that there are fights on the ground, there is passion. None of this 'gentleman' stuff."

This format will also have last man batting. In other words, a batsman can bat even when there are no partners left.

"This increases the drama factor," the official said. "It is one against 11… sorry, 20.

"We are forever innovating. The nine extra members will also have a part to play when the side are batting. There will be a camera in the dressing room, and all 20 members will be engaged in a battle royale before to determine who goes out to bat. Entertainment all around… this is how we take cricket into the 22nd century… ooh, note to self – 22 next time."