Cricket 2.0: Inside the T20 Revolution

by Tim Wigmore, Freddie Wilde, Harsha Bhogle (Foreword)

‘A fascinating insight into how the newest format has impacted on the game at every level including Test cricket. Essential reading for T20 fans and traditional followers’ - Scyld Berry

‘An invaluable guide by two smart young writers to the story of T20 cricket, to the strategies that underpin it and to the players who have made the format’ - Mike Atherton

‘Tim and Freddie are the torchbearers of tomorrow, we must listen to them’ - Harsha Bhogle

‘T20 is here to stay and we should celebrate and cherish all the skills involved . . . it is only going to get bigger’ - Michael Vaughan

Cricket 2.0 tells the story of how an old, traditional game was transformed by Twenty20 and how this format moved from being a gimmick to the face of modern cricket.

Using exclusive interviews with those at its heart, Tim Wigmore and Freddie Wilde chronicle this revolution with insight, forensic analysis and story-telling verve.

The iconic captain Brendon McCullum, England’s T20 visionaries Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler and Trinidad’s Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine, who rose to become among the first T20 millionaires, explain how they shaped T20 - and how it shaped them. Test greats Rahul Dravid and Ricky Ponting recount what a sea-change T20 represented and decode T20 strategy. AB de Villiers explores the limits of modern batting. The Afghan phenomenon Rashid Khan shows that T20 superstars can now come from anywhere. Venky Mysore, the cricket revolutionary you have never heard of, reveals how the game is changing off the field.

Through a prism of compelling human-interest stories and featuring interviews with more than fifty players and coaches, Cricket 2.0 examines how a cocktail of globalisation, new aggressive tactics and huge investment are changing the sport faster than ever before, while analysing the myriad ways in which a traditional game has been revolutionised forever, both on and off the pitch.

Told with vivid clarity and insight, this is the extraordinary and previously misunderstood story of Twenty20 cricket and how it is shaping the future of the game.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 10, 2019

About the author

Tim Wigmore is the author of Test Cricket: A History, a new narrative history based on dozens of new interviews and years of research. He is also the author of Crickonomics, a Waterstones Sports Book of the Year, and Cricket 2.0: Inside the T20 Revolution, which won the Wisden Book of the Year and Daily Telegraph Cricket Book of the Year in 2020. He is a sports writer for The Daily Telegraph, and has also written for The Economist, The New York Times, ESPNCricinfo and The New Statesman.

Reviews

[Rajat Gangrade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will go down as an all time classic whenever cricket will be discussed.

[Tristan Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't like this book. I love it.

However, it is terribly edited. Terribly. The editing equivalent of going for 0-60, running your captain out then leaving a ball onto your off stump for 0 off 10 balls.

[Shubham Dubey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect book to read in order to delve deep into the T20 games, also focussing on how the game has evolved over the years

[Diptakirti Chaudhuri]

Cricket 2.0 is a must read for even casual cricket fans to understand the history, geography, chemistry and physique that go into T20 cricket. It's a brilliantly written book that makes compelling (often counter-inituitive) arguments and uses just the right amount of data and anecdotes to support them.
Apart from explaining the emergence/dominance of T20 trends, stars, teams and countries, it also answers that perplexing question that troubles a billion people every year with one full chapter: "Why CSK win and why RCB lose?" 😀

[E.T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I have read on (T20) cricket. And I will be looking at T20 with some respect from now on. Every aspect of the on-field and off-field game has been discussed in depth. Mindblowing !

[Asif · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a fascinating insight into how the newest format has impacted the game at every level.

“India watches Indian cricketers. India doesn't watch cricket.”

This book is not a definitive history of T20 cricket, but the story of how T20 has changed cricket and an attempts to get inside and deconstruct the T20 revolution. 21 years since T20 was created at the professional level—this book explores and reflects on all the changes it has wrought with the benefit of perspective.

The IPL marked the Americanification of Indian cricket: sport as an international event, with the best players from the world over, but with an Indian team always winning. The single most significant consequence of the league was how it redefined cricket's economy from one that was entirely reliant on international competition to one that seemingly had the potential to survive without it. But at the same time, there has been a democratization of cricket. Cricket has spread both away from the big cities and down the social hierarchy.

Cricket had originated in England and was spread to disparate parts of the globe on the vessels of the British Empire. For the vast majority of the 20th century, England remained the spor's focal point. But now the focal point is the cash-rich IPL that attracts the best players in the world.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good chapters. Some boring chapters. Poorly edited. I think the authors are guilty of over analysis at points.

[Prakhar Sachdeo · Rating 5 out of 5]

In January 2005, cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle penned an article titled "20-20 Vision is the Way Ahead". In the article, Bhogle had tried to justify that T20 cricket was the way forward for the sport. To back his argument Bhogle drew analogies"T-shirts can live with ties, sneakers with fine leathers". T-shirts and Sneakers representing T20 cricket while Ties and Leather representing Test and 50-over cricket. In the article, he wrote "It (T20 cricket) cannot be stopped"

T20 cricket was hardly two years old at the time Bhogle wrote that article, hence there just wasn't enough data and expertise on the format to back his argument.

Cut to 2020 and T20 cricket is in its prime teenage. It is now old enough for introspection before it starts preparing for the future. And that is exactly what writers Tim Wigmore and Freddie Wildie have attempted to do in their book Cricket 2.0: Inside the T20 Revolution. Making T20 cricket as the core subject, they have looked at the life that format has lived so far. So we come across the birth of the T20 cricket, its growing pains, key personalities that have shaped its life thus far, the life-changing milestone events, where the format is going wrong and could correct itself and what lies ahead as the format enters its late teens.

To Wigmore and Wildie's benefit, they now have access to enough data generated over the years. Complementing the data is the experience of players, coaches, franchise owners, and data analysts. The writers mix the two and serve the readers with a mix that is too intoxicating and enlightening at the same time.

The book answers as to what makes the likes of Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers the best batsmen of T20 cricket. Why Sunil Narine got success and a spinner in the format? Why IPL has succeeded as a T20 league while other leagues have fizzled out? Why Nepal and Afghanistan could be the nurseries of the next T20 superstars? What makes the Caribbean Islands churn out some of the finest T20 talents in the world? Why is T20 more prone to match-fixing and doping and of-course What next for T20 cricket?

Right from the cover (brilliantly designed, more than anything I was lured into the book because of the cover) to its last page, this book is a cricket aficionados delight. Although the book is about T20 cricket, it can be enjoyed like a Test match. Savor every chapter one tantalizing session at a time.

A must-read!!!

[Sandeep Bhat · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book strictly for T20 cricket lovers, Cricket 2.0 is an ode to the more destructive, more entertaining and more globalised form of cricket. The book starts with the evolution of T20 as celebrity type light cricket, watershed moment of India winning the inaugural world cup, role of Indian Premier league, role played by associate leagues of West Indies, Bangladesh and Pakistan, evolution of freelance T20 experts and the expected future of T20 cricket. With fun filled anecdotes and just the right amount of data analytics, Cricket 2.0 is an eye opener into the more nuanced background work such as scouting, data analytics, strategy planning and body building. The book also dedicates an entire section of twin threats of fixing and body enhancing drugs and weak regulation surrounding it. The section related to freelance T20 experts and identification of raw talent from Afghanistan and then making them truly global was very insightful. A quick read with simple language, the book is a cricketers delight as it jogs through various milestones of the current era.

[Swapna Peri ( Book Reviews Cafe ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Title: Cricket 2.0: Inside the T20 Revolution
Author: Tim Wigmore Freddie Wilde
Format: Kindle

Book Title:
The title of the book ' Cricket 2.0: Inside the T20 Revolution ' is apparent and self-explanatory that the book is about T20 format Cricket and it's IN and OUT.

Book Cover:
The cover image of the book is of a cricket ground with single players representing their teams. The image creates certain magic and excitement.

About the authors:
Tim Wigmore is a journalist for The Daily Telegraph, ESPNCricinfo, The New York Times and The Economist, specializing in cricket, sports analytics and the business of sport. He is also a weekly columnist for the i paper. Tim is a former winner of the CMJ Young Cricket Journalist of the Year, and runner-up for the Ian Woodbridge Young Sports Writer of the Year award. His first book, Second XI: Cricket in its Outposts, was named one of The Guardian's sports books of the year for 2015. Freddie Wilde works as an analyst and is on the editorial team at the cricket data analytics company CricViz who provides services to broadcasters, professional teams, and players. Freddie is also a freelance journalist, specializing in T20 cricket. He has written for ESPNcricinfo, The Cricket Monthly, All Out Cricket, CricBuzz, Wisden India and others.

About the book:
Cricket 2.0 is the definitive book for those looking to understand the T20 format – both on and off the pitch' – Nasser Hussain

My review:
As per my knowledge and whatever I have read, T20 Cricket matches were popular in the 1960s in England and then were called Evening League Matches. The game of cricket was more or less a middle-class man's game rather being a Gentleman's game. The game has gone with several module changes and ended up with a 50 over ODI. As time passed and the interest on the game was getting narrowed gradually, the T20 format match has again popped up.

It was in the year 2003 again the initial matches of the T20 format have begun. Initially, it was not at all gaining support and was also criticized. Though it was not getting the required momentum, it rose to heights within no-time. There were questions all over right from a person choosing Cricket as his passion until he becomes a breed of the ' traditional players '. But once it gained a huge fan following, the 50 over matches were losing its viewers until favorite players from every team started playing both the formats. T20 was becoming famous amongst youngsters a lot and no doubt the same format was adopted by the younger ones who play on streets.

What most of the audience or the viewers are unaware of is what goes inside the team, the ergonomics, and economics of T20 format. In this book by Tim and Freddie, they give their readers a complete package of T2 format, how it's played, what are the unknown facts that are often masked but when understood create a whole different scenario on the game and such things are wonderfully explained in detail.

As the book progresses, the readers experience rare phenomena of almost 50 players and other important people from the world of Cricket and their interviews. The concept itself was so attractive that I could not resist myself in flipping pages to check out my favorite players' interviews.
This book definitely is recommended for every cricket fan and especially those people who have wantedly sacrificed to watch matches of T20 format during T20 WC and have lots of memories with every match. The limited duration of the game is one of the most fascinating points. The authors have highlighted all the important facts with figures and realistic explanations in the book to give the readers an awesome reading experience. I am sure that after reading this book my view of watching a T20 match will surely change for good.

It would be absolutely inhuman on my part if I don't appreciate the amount of research and details study both Tim and Freddie have done in bringing out this book. Last but not the least, the forewords by Michael Vaughan and Harsha Bhogle, as well as exclusive interviews with figures including Jason Gillespie and Ricky Ponting, are perfectly the icing on the cake!

What I like:
1. The very thought of writing this book is appreciable
2. The concept of including interviews of stalwarts of International Cricket is fanciful
3. The journey of cricket from its start to till power plays in ODIs to T20s is absolutely interesting
4. The minute to major changes the format of the game that happened over years with an addition of modern batting techniques if delightful to read
5. The paradigm shift of the Cricket game from a simple game to over countries battles and then to economic pawn is quite bizarre but good to know.
6. The book also greatly dealt with the psychoanalysis of the players and the teams concerning their discipline of either batting or bowling or fielding.
7. The struggles a player faces while playing in T20 formats and IPL and if by chance has to play an ODI is well explained.
8. For the myth makers who believed T20 is a joke, this book with its extreme research and analysis proves it wrong.

What I didn't like:
As a Cricket fan I do miss the authentic format of ODI that is played for 50 over matches on either side and knowing more about T20 and getting used to it is a small disappointment.

Narration:
An engaging and impressive narration with real-time facts and scenarios the book offers a great deal of entertainment. Involving the minute nuances and intrinsic details about T20 Cricket world and style, the book gives great factual information

Language & Grammar:
Either the colloquial language or the Cricket language that is used in the book is very convenient to read and understand. With a great choice of rich vocabulary, the book stands high on literary standards.

My Final Verdict:
A, B and C's of T20 International Cricket

Book Title: 4/5
Book Cover: 4/5
Inside the book: 4/5
Narration: 4/5
Language & Grammar: 4/5
Final Rating: 4/5

[Umesh Kesavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An original book that anticipates and analyses the T20 revolution that has engulfed cricket even more deeply since it's publication in 2019. The authors combine statistical wisdom with perceptive inputs to provide a clear roadmap as to what is in store for T20 in the years to come. When writing pedigree meets passion, the result is a tome like this.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5? A brilliant insight into T20 and the role it has played in the global cricket game and market. Explorations of the different leagues, and specifically the IPL and its impact, were so interesting- and I enjoyed exploring how T20 has impacted the players, their attitudes, their approaches, and the game itself. It posed interesting questions about the future of the game- some of which even 5 years on are not any clearer!!

[David Wyatt-Hupton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book. If you're a cricket fan you should read it, even if you're not fully converted to T20. Despite its popularity, little is truly understood in relation to the tactics and skills needed to excel. This book bridges the gaps with a really educational and entertaining tone.

[Sarthak Dev · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is cricket's equivalent of Soccernomics.

If you weren't already, it makes you see T20 in a totally new way. The book goes deep into things that make the format popular, and tells us why it is really the future of cricket.

[Mark Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just so good. Vastly increased my understanding and respect for T2.0.

[Ahmed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cricket 2.0: Inside The T20 Revolution is like a book analyzing the movement of T20 cricket, and its evolution over the years, up until today. While I have been a member of the cricket community for a long time and would consider myself an avid watcher and browser of the community’s many internet presences, I don’t think I would recommend this book to anyone but those who are extreme fans, or analyzers of the sport. And at the same time, I think it would be found boring by lovers of the sport, like myself. I feel as if the authors of the book tried to target all cricket lovers, from brand new, to very seasoned with the book, and while it may captivate some, it really didn’t captivate me. Furthermore, while I like to analyze things at the surface level for cricket, I think the level of analysis the authors wrote this book to isn’t something that, while interesting, is easy to pull off in a book in a manner that makes me want to keep reading.
First and foremost, I think the fact the book goes from extremely simple concepts that are kind of easy to assume, to more specifics and intricate concepts makes the book less interesting, as a reader. For example, in the opening of the first chapter, the authors write about Brandon McCullum’s first time in the Indian Premier League, (a cricket league in India where players come internationally to participate and play in), “McCullum missed the first ball of the second over, he was now naught of 6 balls ‘it was swing out, or get out’ said McCullum, who recognized that he would be more useful to his team sitting out in the dugout, instead of staying out in the middle using valuable balls. This enlightened approach demonstrated an intricate understanding of the nature of T20.” I just feel like this portion is out of place for a book that seems to overall be for people that understand cricket. T20 is a mode of cricket played where the batting team has 30 fewer overs than a typical one-day international of 50 overs, a whopping 180 fewer bowls. This is an incredibly common-sense idea regarding T20 cricket, and unless you have never watched cricket in your life, you would already know that this is definitely part of “the nature of T20”. This same quote goes on to attempt to hook the reader.
“That the next ball was full, and that McCullum’s arc was essentially irrelevant. He was attacking anyway and slogged across the line of the ball, McCullum regularly cited the role of luck in a game with margins as fine as T20, his shot that could’ve logged to a fielder, just as easy as it could’ve cleared him. He got just enough on the ball to get it over the fielder’s head and score 4. The crowd roared.” This hook in the first chapter feels needlessly dragged out as if it were trying to fill a word count, rather than hook a reader. This is what I felt kept the reading down to a more boring level. Much of the writing implements a lot of side notes, mid-sentence, breaking from my reading rhythm, and really slowing it down. The first few chapters were very hard to get through for me.
Another thing to mention is that the book has slang and terms not common in the United States, this is understandable. The authors of the book aren’t from here and cricket isn’t popular in the U.S; however, there were times, even noticeable in the quotes I mentioned earlier, where there were terms and words used that I didn’t recognize.
Overall, I think that Cricket 2.0 is an interesting read and if you are a big fan of T20 cricket and really want to get into the nitty-gritty details of the sports inside from the perspective of many of the professional players, then it’s a great read. However, this is definitely not a read for anyone else, and definitely shouldn’t be the topic of a school project for anyone. While the book really hones in on the aspects of T20 cricket very well, I personally didn’t find it interesting, and I think many novices, casual, and maybe even many extreme cricket fans would agree with me.

[ash · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an eye-opener for sure!!! I’ve always had some disdain for the T20 format because I started watching cricket when T20s were slightly less prevalent, and hence, there’s that conditioning bias. I’ve always looked at T20s less as a scientific endeavor and more a venture where teams that can pile on the runs quickly enough (often via monster hits) emerge as winners.

To read the book in that context came as a godsend. You can’t be a fan of a sport without fully appreciating all its various nuances. This book intends to do just that. It explains the science surrounding T20 planning, team building, and play and then explains how and why that science works. The book has some very insightful chapters on certain styles of T20 batting, why spinners dominate in T20s (contrary to what might be expected), how good T20 sides are built, and how T20s are doing far more than any other format to spread the game around the world.

The authors' access to players, coaches, experts, and team insiders has ensured that this book makes a very compelling case since the people at the center of it all are the ones who set the narrative in the book. For Indians, T20s tend to get very IPL-centric, so tales from T20 leagues worldwide and a glimpse at pre-IPL T20 strategies in the UK are an added bonus.

The best thing about the book, though, is its writing style. This is a well-written book, and I don’t say that about cricket books too much. Cricket books tend to read like expanded Cricbuzz or Cricinfo articles, which takes you out of the book very quickly. This book consciously avoids that. It sets up a narrative on the history of the development of this format and then guides the reader through various facets of the format by giving a historical view of the entire thing. Hence, it feels like you are reading a serious book that is adding something to your understanding of the sport.

I have a few minor complaints about the book, although one can’t be attributed to the authors making any mistake. The first mistake, which can be pinned on the authors, is that the writing lags a little in the final portions of the book. The pace slows down, and some of the chapters (especially the one on cheating) seem a bit drawn out. Those chapters could’ve been edited a little better. The “32 Predictions” chapter seemed as if it had been hastily put together, and I would’ve liked more insights on the players mentioned in the chapter on the T20 Fantasy XI.
The other complaint is not the authors’ fault, but this book came out in 2019, and I read it in 2024. That is almost a generation in T20 cricket between the release of the book and me reading it. The game has moved on further from where it was, especially since there was a pandemic in between. Some of the insights seem a little dated, and new players have emerged who’ve taken the game in different directions. I did not get much on that from the book (due to no fault of the authors though).

This is still a very important book that dispels many myths about the T20 format and builds a necessary halo around the format. Cricket purists should read this book since it explains how much of their rigidity about how the game should be played is just wrong and that T20 is the way forward, no matter what. It has certainly filled me with a new-found respect for the format and those who excel in it because if there’s one thing I’ve learned from this book, it’s that it is very difficult to take risks and be aggressive in a sport as old, exclusive and elitist as cricket.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deserved winner of this year’s Wisden Cricket book of the year, this was a volume asking to be written. Some of its discoveries are increasingly well known (the primacy of leg spinners in T20 for example). Others are revelatory - the most prolific T20 batsman of all time, Chris Gayle, only faces an average of 23 balls per game: less of a contribution in balls per match overall than a bowler completing his four overs. A bowler who is too loose and concedes a couple of 6s when he really should not, is far more damaging than a fielder who isn’t super hot at saving every possible run. The chapter contrasting CSK and RCB is especially fascinating as is the one which is very clear that a drug taking scandal is there waiting to be exposed. Overall the book is dominated by the IPL which I suppose is inevitable given its preeminence in the development of the game but I had hoped for a bit more T20 Blast and BBL references. Well worth a read for any cricket fan.

[Sumit Banerjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is the first love of any boy growing up in India. In the last few years, this love has blossomed and metamorphosed into something different.

This book chronicles the metamorphosis that cricket has undergone with the advent of T20. It very minutely details various chapters of this incredible story. From the change in the way of playing to the art and science of selection, from the new weapons in the arsenal of the players to the stain of match-fixing and doping, you name it, and it has covered them all.

And it is not just the story of the game, but it is the diegesis of the doyens of the game, the tale of the titans. It examines what sets AB de Viliers, Narine, Gayle, Pollard, Buttler, and the other modern greats apart from the mortals they walk among.

This was awarded Wisden Book of the Year; and if you can ignore a few editorial errors, you would know exactly why.

[Olly Colluphid · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting and enjoyable read.

The authors clearly think T20 is a wonderful innovation, and as someone who still thinks it has dangers for the test format I think it pretty much ignored them. The view is clearly test is doomed, this is going to thrive. If that's true I'm sad (I wrote this on the day the 2025 England v India series ended in a thriller at the Oval).

There is a bit of repetition: maybe the editor needed a prod.

Another issue is that the excellent chapter on fixing and doping is mostly then ignored. That chapter raises questions that perhaps needed more consideration in the (after a while a bit samey) chapters lauding the next big player.

Overall though a good book. I need to find an article that goes through the predictions it makes....

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice introduction if you have no idea, but I found a lot of the book was telling me stuff I already knew. Was also way too long and repetitious. That said there was also a lot of interesting things in the book, in particular the chapter on match fixing and doping. Also not really changed my opinion on T20. I don't mind it and will watch it, but am always a bit indifferent towards it, so maybe I'm just biased! Overall not a bad effort and definitely worth a read if your new to cricket / T20

[Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very comprehensive book on how T20 changed the cricket world, including how the game is played and the impact on both the traditional cricket countries and those on the outside. Would love to see a book like this on how Sevens impacted rugby union or in the future how mixed doubles can impact curling as there has been or can be comparable results.

[Dipra Lahiri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive analysis of the T20 format with some incisive insights on the fundamental shifts in strategy vs. the longer formats. The greats of the format such as AB DeVilliers, Gayle, Narine are discussed in detail. Must read for any cricket fan.

[Dushyanth Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book waiting to be written .T20 even though is the cash cow for modern cricket is often viewed as less serious and often secondary to other formats .This book offers good insights into the evolution of tactics in T20.
But editing could have been better.

[Daniel Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty interesting look at T20, but could do with a very good edit. Goes on a bit too long, and some passages are repeated in their entirety. Also, whilst this may be expected from a book about T20 it comes across as a bit disrespectful of Test Cricket.

[T. Sathish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book that captures the journey of T20 Cricket from its conception..the initial indifference to the now preponderance, an evolution that has taken place in our life times..A must read book for those interested in T20 cricket

[Pratyush Peddireddi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some great insights, loved the concluding chapters covering csk-rcb, west indies' T20 dynasty, and the origin stories of T20 stars from "associate" nations like Rashid Khan.

[MR K · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book to challenge your thinking and to explain the newest form of the great game. A must read for all fans of cricket and wider sport.

[Chris Oates · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not rising to the level of "Moneyball" for cricket, the thesis that T20 is a fundamentally different game cuts to a deeper level than most sports books.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

As good a summary of cricket's shortest, wildly popular variant as one could wish for.