The idea of new structure of cricket was, was originally introduced in United Kingdom by Wales and England cricket board in the 2003 for inter- county proffesional competition. For the frst time each team played for twenty overs.

When the Benson & Hedges Cup ended in 2002, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) needed another one day competition to fill its place. The cricketing authorities were looking to boost the game's popularity with the younger generation in response to dwindling crowds and reduced sponsorship. It was intended to deliver fast paced, exciting cricket accessible to thousands of fans who were put off by the longer versions of the game
The twenty20 cricket game is completed in approximately two and the half hour with the every innings that lasts near around in 75 minutes, therefore bringing sport closer to span of time of the other famous team games such as football or hockey.

Although being discussed since long the first T20 match was played in the year 2003 by ECB. First authorized Twenty20 cricket matches were played in the year 2003 on 13th June between the varieties of the English counties.
The winners that year were the Surrey Lions who defeated the Warwickshire Bears to clinch the first ever Twenty20 cup. The match was a huge success among Crowd. The slogan for the first twenty-20 cricket match was " I don't like cricket, I love it ".The huge success of first twenty-20 gave rise to a entirely new world of cricket with new excitment and a lot and lot of fun.

Internationally, T 20 cricket is played since year 2005. The sixteen countries who  have played the T 20 cricket are :
• Australia
• Bangladesh
• Bermuda
• Canada
• England
• India
• Ireland
• Kenya
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Pakistan
• Scotland’s
• South Africa
• Sri Lanka
• West Indies
• Zimbabwe

Important Matches in T20 -

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15th July 2004 - Match between Middlsex vs Surrey at the Lord's stadium attracted the huge crowd of 26500 people, largest attendace  in the history of any county cricket game

17th February 2005 -  The first men's full international Twenty20 match, was played between Australia and Newzealand and Eden Park in Aucland. The Game was played in a light hearted Manner in which Australia defeated Newzealand.

13th June 2005 -  The first Twenty20 international in England was played between England and Australia at the Rose Bowl in Hampshire , which England won by a record margin of 100 runs.

11th July 2006 - Stanford 20-20. A Tournamnet in which West- Indies regional team competed.Allen Stanford, a billionare has financially backed up the event  and gave at least US$28,000,000 funding money. It was decided that the tournament will be held anually. Guyana won the event. The top prize for the winning team was US$1,000,000, but other prizes were given throughout the tournament, such as play of the match (US$10,000) and man of the match (US$25,000).

9th January 2006 -  The first ever twenty 20 in Australia was played between Australia and South Africa.Ech player's nickname appeared on the back of his uniform, rather than his surname. A huge crowd of 38894 people gathered to see this historic match at Gabba which Austalia won with man of the match Damien Martyn scoring 96 runs.

1st february 2008- The ticket for match between " Australia and India" at Melbourne was entirely sold as pre-tickets and a huge crowd of more then 84,000 people attended the match.it involved the Twenty -20 world champions agains ODI world Champions.

Critism and Conflict :

Although T20 game has been a huge success gaining a huge popularity in a very short span of near about five years. Still the cricketing faternity have been divided into two groups in thier opinion about the game.
THe prompoters of the game believe that it is different from the traditional form of cricket and will not replace any, but will just increase the intrest of youngsters in the game and will drive more and more people towards it increasing popularity of cricket as a whole even among those people who are more interested in fast games like football.
Whereas some people think that it is far away from  Technical Cricket. Youngsters will start believing that cricket is a game of "Fours and Sixes" , no matter how you do it. It will give rise to misconception that cricket is a game of batsman because baller is always on the reciving side.

With Indian Premier League going on and T-20 World cup around the corner, the important point is not if the game is popular, but it is will it be able to sustain its popularity.