Cricket is set to introduce a new format, Test Twenty, in which boys' and girls' performances will contribute equally to determine the winner of a match.
The inaugural tournament will be held at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Colombo from November 14 to 29, bringing together 160 young cricketers from across the world.
Players aged between 13 and 21 will be divided into four continental teams, each comprising 40 players — 20 boys and 20 girls.
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The format will feature separate matches for boys and girls, but their scores will be combined to determine the overall result. This system is designed to give both groups an equal role in deciding the winner.
How Will Test Twenty Work?
Each match will feature a girls' XI facing the opposition's girls' XI and a boys' XI taking on the opposing boys' XI. The scores from both matches will be added together to determine the winning team.
The toss will decide not only which team bats first but also whether the girls' or boys' match is played first.
Under the format's Parity Rule, the runs scored by one group will contribute directly to the result of the other group's match, according to the press release.
Each match will consist of 80 overs played across a single day. The first 40 overs will be played in daylight with a red ball and players wearing traditional white cricket clothing. The remaining 40 overs will take place under floodlights, with a white ball and players switching to coloured kits.
Scores will carry forward across both sessions, with no reset between them.
Test Twenty Tournament Dates And Broadcast Details
The inaugural tournament will begin with an opening ceremony on November 14, while the final is scheduled for November 29. November 30 has been designated as a reserve day for the final, taking Sri Lanka's weather conditions into account.
All matches will be broadcast live on Sony Sports Network.
Test Twenty: Player Selection And Team Composition
Thousands of young cricketers from five continents registered their interest in the tournament. The selection process included on-ground and online trials conducted over the past 300 days.
The Global Selection Committee has selected the players for the inaugural edition and is chaired by Rajkumar Sharma, one of India's prominent cricket coaches.
The final list of 160 players — comprising 80 boys and 80 girls — is set to be announced through a players' draft later this month.
AB de Villiers, Matthew Hayden, Sir Clive Lloyd On Advisory Board
Test Twenty will be supported by an advisory board featuring former South African captain AB de Villiers, former Australian opener Matthew Hayden and former West Indies captain Sir Clive Lloyd.
The tournament's Global Selection Committee is chaired by Rajkumar Sharma, while Mike Fordham is leading operations.
Test Twenty founder Gaurav Bahirvani said the tournament aims to establish a new cricket format and create a platform for young players, with boys' and girls' performances carrying equal weight in determining match results.
Reflecting on the initiative, Bahirvani said the idea was introduced a year ago and has since developed into a tournament designed specifically for young cricketers.
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"On 14 November, that promise walks out for the first time, at the SSC in Colombo. Parity is not only in the rules or the way our game is played. It is in the broadcast. Some nights, it will be the girls under the floodlights, in primetime, in front of the world. Other nights, the boys. Every night, one scoreboard,” he said.
Bahirvani also thanked Sri Lanka Cricket and the Sinhalese Sports Club for supporting the inaugural tournament in Colombo, highlighting the country's enthusiasm for young cricketers.
"For the first time in the history of the game, girls and boys will win together, or lose together. That moment now belongs to Sri Lanka. We are all going to Colombo," he added.
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