Twenty ones is a simple, effective and scalable net/middle practice game designed to get players competing, thinking and improving. I’ve been tweaking the format recently, so wanted to share what is working in my cricket sessions with kids of various ages.
Here’s how it works.
The basic game
The mission of the game is to be the first to score 21 points between batsman and bowler.
The basic game can be played in nets. ideally it’s played in a hall or middle practice. It can be played in teams (fielding and batting) or one batsman against one bowler.
Points are allocated in any way to fit the needs of the session, but a standard template is something like,
Batting
4 pts: boundary
2 pts: run
1 pt: no wicket for 10 balls
Bowling
10 pts: wicket
3 pts: maiden
2 pts: play and miss
1 pt: dot ball
This can be customised easily.
For longer formats, defensive play can be rewarded (points for surviving, leaving and so on). For short formats, things like dot chains and boundary-single combos could be the focus. It’s totally flexible.
It’s simple and competitive to do this with the resources you have available to you and it turns nets and middle practice into a testing-style practice.
If you stop there you still have a great, flexible game for most level of player.
But you can layer it up further too.
Much of the below is taken from the work of Amy Price and the Video Games Approach.
Upgrade 1: Pauses
A “pause” is a way of giving players greater control over their own games on a technical and tactical level, and it dovetails perfectly with the 21s format.
The pause gives players the chance to think, reflect then act. This is often missed in practice. However, once you see realistic situations emerge from the interactions caused by pausing, you see the benefits.
Pauses work by giving each team the ability to pause the game and make a change. I usually give each team 2 pauses per game.
The reason for a pause is one of:
The game format is not working and needs to change. The rules can be changed.
The team is behind and need an advantage. A cheat can be brought in.
The team is ahead and needs more of a challenge.
The team are unsure what to do so need a tip or a clue.
The team want to focus on a specific phase of play and so call a replay to try again to do better.
I let players call a pause when they want. I tell them can only use the cheat once. Otherwise everyone cheats all the time.
I also call coach-led pauses if I see something that needs further reflection or a rule change.
Upgrade 2: Power Ups
Power ups are temporary advantages that change the nature of the game. I like these because they are both fun and provide a different challenge to players: The environment shifts so their techniques and tactics need to adapt.
Power ups are given at 8 points. They usually last an over. You can be flexible on this.
Here are some examples:
Batsmen get 2 points for hitting the ball in a certain area
Batsman gets immunity for a certain type of wicket (e.g. bowled)
Batsman gets a point for any drop and run singles
Batsman can change the field
Bowler has to bowl off two steps only
Batsmen must try to score in area allocated by bowler
Batsmen have to run every contact
Automatic loss for batsman if a wicket falls (out means out)
Bowler gets a point for hitting length
Bowler gets a wicket if a maiden is bowled
Bowler gets 5 points of the batsmen hits the ball at catchable height
Double points for any skill
Fielders get a point for saving a run (stopping an attacking shot)
You can make up plenty more and allocate them or get players to choose one that matches their needs.
Upgrade 3: Levels
At the end of the game, you have a winner and the winner progress to a higher “level”. This means the challenge gets harder for the winners in the next round. Each win changes the rules in some way.
Examples of level changes I have used are:
Power up at 10, 11 or 12 points
All pauses must be used by players
Fewer points (e.g. 7 points for a wicket)
Change of points (e.g. batsmen don’t get survival points but do get points for chains of scoring shots)
Adding point options (e.g. landing a yorker, playing a higher risk shot, points for fielding)
Extra pauses for the opposition
Coach points for exceptional play
No coach pauses
Only nominated players can score certain points (e.g. tail enders only get points for boundaries, only part time bowlers can get wicket points)
Opposition start with points or power ups
You can have as many levels as you see fit, although in an hour most people don’t get past level 3. To counter this, you can allow players or teams to “save” and take their progress to the next session.
Summary of cricket Twenty Ones game
21s is a flexible net and small sided game format for cricket that focuses on competitive practice. It uses gamification techniques to motivate players and improve techniques.
Additional gamification tools - that add to the format’s effectiveness - are Pauses (for reflective and cognitive skills), Power Ups (for engagement and building pressure) and Levels (to match skill to challenge).
Although it seems complex to manage, it engages players in the game and affords the chance to develop technical and tactical skills alongside decision-making, reflective practice, communication and teamwork skills, and resilience.