Cricket
Most Popular Cricket Format: T20 vs ODI vs Test Ranked
From its origins as a pure game of patience, grit, and endurance over five days, to the more compact 50-over format and the most recent 20-over iteration, cricket has undergone a remarkable evolution over the decades. While the World Test Championship has given the longest format renewed vigour, fan attention has continued shifting to contests in One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and T20s, a format which has boomed since arriving on the scene. To answer what the most popular cricket format is, SportsBoom has looked at industry insights, weighing expert opinions, with statistical comparisons, considering factors like cricket viewership stats and how games play out.
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These two factors have been combined to create the final SB Market Index, which considers the two analyses above to provide a more definitive answer to the question - which format is the most popular from Tests, ODIs, and T20s?
SB Market Index: How We Evaluate Cricket's Most Popular Format
SportsBoom’s evaluation has combined a statistical analysis of viewership and match outcomes with expert and media perception to provide a comprehensive ranking, known as the SB Market Index.
Industry Insights
This score is a curated analysis from top 10 cricketing and sports media sources, surveys, and research data that measures how each format is perceived in terms of popularity, prestige, and importance.
| Source/format | Test | ODI | T20 |
| MCC Survey/ ESPNcricinfo | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ThePapare (MCC results) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Sportskeeda on MCC survey | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| The Indian Express news | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ABC News coverage | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| CricketWorld.com (MCC quotes) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Reddit r/Cricket census poll | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Reddit r/CWC poll | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ICC market research data | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| ESPN player poll (WCA survey) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total mentions | 8 | 2 | 2 |
SB Score
This score is calculated based on two key metrics: average global viewership (60% weightage) and the percentage of matches with a definitive result (40% weightage). The raw statistics have been used to calculate the final SB Score.
| Format | Avg. Global Viewership | Avg. Runs per Innings | % Matches with Result (no draw/tie) | Avg. International Matches per Year |
| Test | ~70 million/day | 272 runs | ~93.6% | ~110–120 |
| ODI | ~130 million/match | 216 runs | ~100% | ~200–250 |
| T20 | ~150 million/match | 141 runs | ~100% | ~250–300 |
SB Market Index
To determine the best cricket format ranked, the final SB Market Index has incorporated the SB Score and Industry Insights, weighted respectively, for the final score.
| Rank | Format | SB Score | Industry Insights | SB Market Index |
| 1 | Test | 0.559 | 8 | 6.512 |
| 2 | T20 | 1.000 | 2 | 1.800 |
| 3 | ODI | 0.920 | 2 | 1.784 |
The Verdict: Test Cricket's Enduring Prestige
In a somewhat surprising outcome, Test cricket stands head and shoulders above the younger formats in terms of the SB Market Index, driven entirely by its overwhelming ‘Industry Insights’ score.
The longest format has lower viewership figures according to the SB Score model, in line with a seeming decline in interest from fans who prefer the more action-packed and condensed formats.
However, Test cricket’s perceived importance and prestige among traditional media and dedicated fanbases are immense, which is reflected in the format’s superior SB Market Index ranking.
As the original way the game was played, many have lobbied for the format to retain its standing and the results of the SB Market Index lends credence to those asking why Test cricket is the best.
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The Popularity Powerhouses: T20 and ODI
Comparatively, the T20 and ODI formats are dominant in the purely statistical SB Score, thanks to factors like their massive per-match viewership figures and the near-certainty of a result from matches.
The fact that Test matches are more likely to end in draws has resulted in the shorter formats attracting as much as double of the viewers and significantly more contests being played in a single year.
Despite these factors, most traditional media sources surveyed for the Industry Insights - apart from specific polls and research data - have shown a clear preference for the original cricket format.
Test cricket likely remains attractive to purists and loyalists as a test of strategy over a longer period, where physical fortitude, mental strength, and adapting to conditions are needed for victory.
The Great Divide: Prestige vs. Viewership
One thing that is clear from this analysis is the clear contrast between the statistically most-viewed cricket formats (ODIs and T20s) and the format that is held in the highest esteem by surveyed sources (Tests).
The 50-over and 20-over structures, being more compact and high-energy, have claimed a significant number of viewers and are also among the most popular for fans watching cricket matches live at the stadiums.
Emphasising the clear divide between prestige and viewership, the more drawn-out five days of Test cricket can often be discouraging to fans attending matches live and even those who enjoy watching the matches on TV.
Even considering the SB Market Index, with the five-day format so highly rated, ODI cricket relevance remains high and the T20 cricket growth emphasises that players must either specialise or keep adapting.
Conclusion on the State of Cricket's Formats
Looking at the SB Score, factors like average global viewership and the percentage of matches ending on no result are often negatives against Test cricket. With expert consensus considered in the debate, the script is flipped entirely, with the ODI and T20 formats falling well short of competition over five days.
Despite the intrigue of the World Test Championship, the argument about where Test cricket’s place in the modern game is still a heavily discussed topic.
All things considered, the future of all three ICC cricket formats likely depends on their healthy coexistence and catering to the three respective audiences. Whether cricket fans enjoy high-intensity clashes or more strategic contests, it is clear that ODIs, T20s, and Tests all have a place in the global game.
Bruce Douglas has more than 12 years of experience in local news media. He has worked at all levels of print and online publication, from crime and politics to photography, newspaper layout, proofreading, mentoring, sub-editing, and leading a newsroom. He played numerous sports at the school level and enjoys keeping up to date.