Girls' and Boys' Runs on One Scoreboard: What Is Test Twenty, Cricket's New Youth Format?

Picture a cricket match where a run scored by a 15-year-old girl in the afternoon can decide whether the boys on her team win that evening. That is the idea behind Test Twenty. The new youth format gets its first tournament this November, running from the 14th to the 29th at Colombo's Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Sri Lanka.

Organisers say it is the first time in cricket that girls and boys have represented one side, their runs added together to decide a single result. Here is how it works, who is behind it, and what it could mean for young cricketers in Indian families here in Cyprus.

How a Test Twenty match works

• Each match is 80 overs and finishes in a single day. Both teams bat twice, 20 overs at a time, and runs from the first innings carry over into the second.
• Daylight comes first: 40 overs in traditional whites with a red ball. Then everyone changes into coloured kit for the remaining 40, bowled with a white ball under floodlights.
• Girls bowl to girls and boys bowl to boys, so they never face each other. What is shared is the scoreboard: the girls' runs and the boys' runs make up one team total.
• The coin toss decides the batting order and also whether the girls' game or the boys' game opens the day.
• The format has its own twists, such as a single four-over powerplay per match and a draw that a team can only play for while it has lost fewer than five wickets.

This shared-score principle, branded the "Parity Rule", is meant to reach the broadcast too: organisers promise girls and boys the same amount of airtime. Every match is due to be shown live on Sony Sports Network, with a world feed offered to broadcasters in other markets.

Who is playing

The first season brings together 160 players aged 13 to 21, split equally between 80 girls and 80 boys. Each of the four teams represents a continent and carries 40 players, half of them girls. Organisers say thousands of youngsters from five continents put their names forward and were assessed in on-field and online trials before a global selection committee drew up a shortlist; a players' draft in late October picks the final 160. The final is on 29 November, with 30 November kept as a reserve day.

The India connection

Test Twenty was created by Gaurav Bahirvani and launched in October 2025, and its Indian arm, Parity Sports India, is based in New Delhi. The selection committee is chaired by Rajkumar Sharma, the Delhi coach who spotted and trained Virat Kohli when he was a youngster, and the advisory board includes AB de Villiers, Matthew Hayden and Sir Clive Lloyd.

The plan has changed since launch. The 2025 announcement spoke of six franchises, three Indian and three international, for players aged 13 to 19; Colombo instead has a 13–21 age band and four teams based on continents.

Is it really a first for Indian cricket?

Not quite in the way some social media posts suggest. Some of the shares we have seen carry headlines about Indian men and women playing on the same team, illustrated with photos of India's senior stars. Test Twenty is a privately run youth tournament, not a BCCI or Indian national team event, and India's senior players are not taking part. The girls and boys also play separate matches within the day rather than side by side on the field. What is genuinely new is that both sets of runs count towards one result.

What this means for you

• For young cricketers: if your child is between 13 and 21 and serious about the game, keep an eye on the official Test Twenty website, where players register for selection. It is not yet clear when trials for a second season will open or whether there will be any in Europe.
• Before you sign up: read the terms and conditions carefully and check whether there is a fee, as with any private sports programme.
• For girls in particular: a format where girls' runs carry equal weight could open more doors. The best preparation is regular club cricket, and our guide lists where to play on the island.
• For fans: matches run from 14 to 29 November. Sony Sports Network is the named broadcaster; check your usual sports channels and streaming services for coverage in Cyprus closer to the date.

Read also: Howzat, Cyprus! Where to Play, Watch and Cheer for Cricket on the Island

Sources: Free Press Journal, Deccan Chronicle, OdishaTV, Yardbarker / CricketGully, Khaleej Times, Test Twenty (official site)