How one man's Twenty20 vision changed cricket for ever... and what a decade of thrills and spills it has been!

[1983-2011]

Ten years ago, cricket changed for ever thanks to one man's vision. Stuart Robertson, then a marketing manager at the ECB, decided in 2001 that traditional one-day cricket in the county game was growing stale and so floated the idea of a 20-over competition. And - despite the initial opposition of seven counties - on June 13, 2003, when Hampshire faced Sussex at the Rose Bowl, Twenty20 was born. And what a success it has been. From that first game (which started with a wide) there have been some superb moments. It has made stars of players such as Graham Napier, who grabbed the headlines with a scarcely believeable 58-ball 152 in 2008 and has given a new lease of life to veterans such as Scott Styris, who hit 38 in an over on the way to a 37-ball hundred. Bowlers, batsmen, fielders and captains have all had to innovate to stay one step ahead of the game and the influence of Twenty20 can be seen in all forms of cricket. Whether that is a good or bad thing, we will let you decide. But just have a watch of the video at the bottom of this article and see some of the shots, catches and dancers and tell us T20 does not provide cracking entertainment. The cornerstone of the Twenty20 season is Finals Day, which has provided some superb moments - Surrey winning the inaugural tournament, Middlesex's last-ball victory in 2008, Somerset losing in the final over and even a boy becoming an internet sensation with his dancing in the stands. Leicestershire are the most successful county, with three Finals Day wins, although Hampshire under Dimitri Mascarenhas have won two of the last three. Given all this excitement and quality, it is no surprise that England has exported the shortest form of the game across the globe and this has changed the face of cricket. The World Twenty20 is possibly a more prized competition than the World Cup and, of course, the Indian Premier League threatens to take over the world and has made millionaires of 'one-day specialists' while also leading to multiple arguments between players and countries. But in England, Twenty20 remains a broadly well-loved, hard-fought and ultimately fun competition, where one minute you can watch a blinding catch on the boundary and the next be watching a giraffe trying to overtake a shark. It seems to be here to stay and to whet the appetite, watch and enjoy this little lot below... TWENTY20 ROLL OF HONOUR (DOMESTIC ONLY)

• 2003 - Surrey Lions
• 2004 - Leicestershire Foxes
• 2005 - Somerset Sabres
• 2006 - Leicestershire Foxes
• 2007 - Kent Spitfires
• 2008 - Middlesex Crusaders
• 2009 - Sussex Sharks
• 2010 - Hampshire Royals
• 2011 - Leicestershire Foxes
• 2012 - Hampshire Royals

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-2340385/Ten-years-Twenty20-cricket.html

[G_B_]

The World Twenty20 is possibly a more prized competition than the World Cup and, of course, the Indian Premier League threatens to take over the world and has made millionaires of 'one-day specialists' while also leading to multiple arguments between players and countries.

most certainly not.

[Debutant]

So this is the man who is the sole reason of damaging cricket, deteriorating cricket standard, match/spot fixing, player's bad behavior, players not loyal, flat pitches, pakis getting knocked out of currently running champions trophy etc etc :--D

[1983-2011]

most certainly not.

obviously there would be some exaggeration because it's Daily Fail after all and the author is an Englishman

[1983-2011]

its a good tournament but they need to sort out the grouping and have the finals day straight after the group stages rather than few weeks later

[G_B_]

obviously there would be some exaggeration because it's Daily Fail after all and the author is an Englishman

probably because England have won the t20 wc and have never won the odi wc.

[1983-2011]

2013 Friends Life t20 will have 97 matches and 18 teams, it will run for 7 weeks and 3 days