How limited is the limited-overs tournament?
The T20 World Cup is the most exciting tournament in cricket’s calendar.
The format is fast-paced and sees sixes rain down in the stands and wickets fall regularly. For both old cricket fans and new, there is something for everyone.
It is also the version of cricket most prone to seeing upsets. So, if you’re in the mood for Ireland beating India or Scotland turning over England or Australia, this is the place for you.
With the competition taking place in the Caribbean and the United States, matches vary in their start times, but all bar one of England, Scotland and Ireland’s group stage games will begin between 3:30pm and 8:00pm.
The tournament will be will be well-suited for either afternoon work-from-home viewing or will be ready for you on the TV after a day at the office.
Australia versus Scotland is the odd one out in that respect, that fixture starts at 1:30am, but even that’s on a Saturday night – so no excuse to miss it.
But how long do the matches last?
RadioTimes.com brings you all the details on how long T20 World Cup matches will last.
How long is a T20 World Cup match?
Each teams innings lasts for 20 overs. And each over lasts six balls. So in total, each team gets to bat for 120 balls each and then they swap.
Matches in this World Cup will for the most part run for just over three hours long, but can finish sooner if teams get bowled out particularly quickly.
In the event a match is tied, teams will play a Super Over to decide who wins. A Super Over is where each team gets to bat for a single over, and whoever scores more runs wins. If that, they will keep playing Super Overs until a winner is decided.
When does a cricket match end?
There are three ways a match can end:
- Target achieved: The team batting second overtakes the number of runs made by the team batting first. Eg I got 186 in my 20 overs, and you reached 187.
- All-Out: The team batting second loses all 10 of their wickets before they reach the target set by the team batting first. Eg I got 157, and you got 103 but lost all 10 of your wickets.
- All Overs bowled: The team batting second completes their 20 overs and whoever has finished with the most runs wins.
And if we’re being super accurate, there is a fourth: rain.
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