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Boys and girls in one cricket team? How the new 80-over Test Twenty format works

Dubai: Imagine a cricket match where boys and girls represent the same team, play separate innings, but their combined runs decide the winner. Sounds interesting? That is exactly what a new cricket competition called Test Twenty is promising when it makes its debut in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from November 14 to 29, 2026. The tournament will feature 160 young cricketers aged between 13 and 21, divided…

Boys and girls in one cricket team? How the new 80-over Test Twenty format works

New Zealand's reluctance to play women's Test cricket has come under scrutiny. Australia, England, India and South Africa have been pushing for more Test matches, but New Zealand Cricket has declined, despite being a pioneer in women's Test cricket since the 1930s. The team has not played a Test since 2004, and the current board is unwilling to change their stance.

This decision has frustrated former players like Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates and Lea Tahuhu, who never got to experience Test cricket despite their decorated careers. New Zealand Cricket's recent budget update predicted a $NZ7.3 million deficit for the past financial year, and the costly nature of Tests, including $NZ10,250 per player, has further pushed the idea of Test matches further out of reach.

Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

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