Archive · 5 Sep 2026
Ricky Ponting Calls for Cricket’s Radical T20 Rebranding
Ricky Ponting wants some cricket to use a different name.
He thinks it should simply be called T20.
T20 is a shorter version of cricket.
Ponting says young people in some places hear “cricket” and imagine a game lasting five days.
That may make the sport seem too long or difficult to follow.
He believes using the name T20 could make the game easier to promote.
His idea is aimed at places where people did not grow up watching cricket.
He shared this view in an interview with The Athletic.
Ricky Ponting said cricket should be rebranded as T20 when introduced to new markets.
He argued that the word “cricket” can suggest a long, five-day game to unfamiliar audiences.
Ponting said T20 is a shorter format rather than a drawn-out five-day contest.
He made the comments during an interaction with The Athletic.
His proposal focuses on selling and promoting T20 cricket to young people worldwide.
- Who
- Ricky Ponting, a former cricket player, made the proposal.
- What
- He called for cricket to be rebranded as T20 when promoted in some markets.
- Where
- The comments were made in an interaction with The Athletic; the specific location was not stated.
- Why
- Ponting said the word “cricket” can make young people unfamiliar with the sport think of a long, five-day game.
- Speaker
- Ricky Ponting
- Proposed name
- T20, or Twenty20 cricket
- Target audience
- Young people in places where cricket is not traditionally followed
- Concern
- The term “cricket” may suggest a long, five-day game
- Context
- Selling and promoting the game
- Source
- The Athletic