Boys and girls in one team: Test Twenty tournament in Colombo from 14 November

COLOMBO: A new cricket format, Test Twenty, is about to begin. In this tournament, boys and girls will bat and bowl in separate innings, but both will add to the same team’s total score. The unique tournament will be played in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 14 to 29 November 2026.

Teams and format

According to the organisers, 160 young cricketers aged between 13 and 21 will take part. They will be divided into four continental teams. Each team will have 20 boys and 20 girls.

In this format, boys will play against boys and girls against girls. However, the result will be decided on their combined score.

Each match will consist of 80 overs. Forty overs will be played in daytime with a red ball and traditional whites. The other 40 overs will be played under floodlights with a white ball and coloured clothing.

Advisory board

The tournament’s advisory board includes former South Africa captain AB de Villiers, Australia’s Matthew Hayden and West Indies’ Clive Lloyd. Virat Kohli’s childhood coach, Rajkumar Sharma, will head the global selection committee.

The event will be held at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. The final is scheduled for 29 November. All matches are expected to be broadcast live on the Sony Sports Network.